Cσrαzón Sαlvαjє
by Stardust98
Summary: This, right here, is a wonderful tale full of adventure, danger, and romance. Lovina had always longed for a life filled with adventure outside the castle's walls. Antonio, Captain of 'El Corazón Salvaje', needs someone to melt his hardened, cold heart. Eventual Pirate!SpainxFem!Princess!Romano. Rated T for language, violence, death and some dark themes. Rating may be raised later.
1. Prologue

_**Title: **Corazón Salvaje__  
_

_**Author: **__Stardust98_

_**Summary: **__This, right here, is a wonderful tale full of adventure, danger, and romance__**. **__Lovina had always longed for a life filled with adventure outside the castle's walls. Antonio, Captain of El Corazón Salvaje, needs someone to melt his hardened, cold heart. Both of their wishes are going to be fulfilled, in the way they least expected, as they both venture out to find the greatest treasure a pirate could ever have. Eventual Pirate!SpainxFem!Romano._

_**Rated: **__T (Might go up to M)._

_**Genre: **__Adventure/Romance._

_**Warnings: **__Slightly dark themes, some Nyotalia, some violence, death and gore here and there_. :)

* * *

**_.Cσrαzón Sαlvαjє._**

_.Prologue._

She looked out her bedroom window, and sighed contentedly at the amazing view of the large village and the sea. The sky was painted with an array of pink, orange, purple and yellow hues, and the sun was setting slowly on the horizon. The deep blue ocean was tinted orange and yellow in the sunlight, and everything was serene and still except for the occasional bird flying by. It was so beautiful . . .

To travel the world . . . To explore the vast ocean . . . It would be wonderful.

"Lady Lovina, it is time."

She turned to face the grand doorway of her room, to see one of the maids standing there. Her eyes sparkled with kindness, and she smiled politely at the girl, who just frowned, unhappy to have her short-lived moment of happiness interrupted.

"I will be there in a moment, Catherine," She murmured, turning back to look at the sea once more. The maid nodded and headed out the room, closing the doors quietly behind her. Lovina had always longed for a life full of adventure, instead of being trapped here in this stupid castle! She felt as if everything she did was controlled, and now, she was being forced to marry someone she did not love. She didn't even know the man! All Lovina knew was that he came from the Kingdom of Germania, and he was the youngest of two. She had heard that the eldest was deemed as unfit to become king, and was then disowned by the royal family.

Queen of the Kingdoms of Germania and Italia . . .

That was what she was going to become, after she was married.

She frowned again, and turned toward the vanity in her room. She looked at herself in the large mirror, still frowning.

Lovina knew that she didn't look anything like her grandfather. She had been told she did a few times, but she had refused to believe it. Long, dark brown hair that ended just past her shoulders cascaded down her back in a high ponytail. Side swept bangs framed her heart-shaped face, and slightly tanned skin glowed with the dim sunlight coming from the window. Bright eyes that never seemed to stop changing colors glared back at her, and it was all topped with her trademark scowl and that bothersome gravity-defying curl (Which held a little secret . . .)

The girl had been told numerous times that she should smile a little more, like her younger sibling, Felicia, but she had never really found a reason to. Lovina hated her life here, and wished to travel the world . . . She had always loved the sea, and its many mysteries, ever since her mother and father took her and Felicia to one of the many beaches in Italia. Her little sister had always preferred staying indoors, while little Lovina was made to be in the water. They had always been like that, a happy family, until . . .

"Lady Lovina?"

"_Si_, give me a second."

She adjusted her slightly disheveled hair and fixed her dress.

"Catherine? Could you please come and help me with this?"

The maid rushed in, and helped the princess tie the laces in a knot to tighten her corset. She glanced at the mirror once more, before heading out, prepared to meet with her grandfather, and the man she would soon marry.

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"_Capitán_! We're almost about to dock!" A young sailor bowed respectfully in front of his captain, who turned to him, excitement shining in his green eyes. He glanced at the large Kingdom of Italia, and smirked. He was very intrigued as to what his First Mate's brother wanted him here for. All he knew that it had to do with a great treasure, one that was sought after by many pirates for centuries. It was said that this very treasure was the key to controlling the seven seas.

And it would soon be his.

"_Excelente_. Tell Gilbert to be prepared to lower the anchor and to wait for my signal. Put up the Italian flag."

"_Sí_, _Capitán_!" The sailor walked off, and the Captain watched him for a while, and then turned his attention back to the large Kingdom. Italia was one of the most powerful Kingdoms in the world, which was still living in a Golden Age full of prosperity. There were six Kingdoms in the world, and España, Italia, Britannia and Germania were the main ones. The others were Rossiya, and François.

He drew his sword out, and admired the way it shone brilliantly in the sunlight; the sword's guard was gold and encrusted with two emeralds and a large ruby in the center, and the ends were shaped like snake heads. The blade had a few scratches, but still looked as good as new, and the deadly and sharp point glinted brightly. It was indeed a beauty . . . He had gotten it about three months ago, when they had raided a small, but important section in the Britannia Kingdom. What a magnificent victory that was . . . He made a mental note to tell Arthur the next time he saw the British _pendejo de la mierda_. He couldn't wait to see the look of utter rage on that stupid Brit's face. How he wished to show that _pendejo_ who was the _true_ pirate out of the two . . .

"Capitán, we have already raised the Italian flag!" Looking up, he did indeed see Italia's flag (Although in his opinion, España's flag looked was much more flattering). It consisted of three rectangles, same size and shape, that were green, white and red. A golden crown stood right in the middle, with an olive branch and a dove right next to it. He scoffed. Italia was anything but a peaceful Kingdom. Sure it was tame compared to Rossiya, but the King was a very skilled and clever man in combat, which he both admired and envied, though he would never tell anyone else that. "And Gilbert is ready to lower the anchor at your command,_ señor_."

Arrogant smirk still in place, he nodded, eyes still bright with unhidden excitement and wonder, and nodded at the young Spanish man.

"_Buen trabajo_, José. Tell the rest of the crew we will be arriving in a few minutes." José bowed with respect once again, and walked off to tell the crew just what the Captain has said.

He was almost there.

Now, he didn't like bragging (Yes, he did), but some say he is one of the most feared pirates to ever sail the seven seas. He was born and raised in España, before deciding to travel the world in search of adventure, freedom and riches. Some say he is a great man, with a passion more hot than a thousand suns. Many, however, say that he is the crafty, sneaky devil himself. The few of those who dared speak negatively of him, were usually never heard of again. And now, there he was, on board the infamous _Corazón Salvaje_, the supposed _diablo _himself was heading towards one of the most powerful and respected Kingdoms in the world.

'_Almost there . . .'_ He thought, and chuckled softly.

Antonio Fernández-Carriedo was arriving.

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**Hope you liked! I worked really hard on this, and would like to know if I should change anything, or something. Don't hold back on criticism! Though mind you, I can tell if you're being fair or not.**

**Review, lovelies~ :)**

*****Stardust98*****


	2. Uno

_**Lovina is 20.**_

_**Felicia is 19.**_

_**Ludwig is 20.**_

_**Antonio is 22.**_

* * *

_**.Corazón Salvaje.**_

_.Uno._

As he neared land, he stared at the castle of the Kingdom of Italia. A magnificent sight it was, with its pure white walls that were a bit weathered from old age, and dark green vines growing on them, which gave the castle a rather lovely fairytale like look.

"_Capitán_! We have reached land!" José informed him as the boat slowed to a steady stop. Emerald orbs still transfixed on the grand structure, he gestured for his First Mate to secure the ship in place.

"Gilbert! Lower the anchor, now."

The man nodded once and obeyed, lowering said anchor, and the ship was only swaying slightly now, finally secured. Antonio turned to his crew, still smiling.

"_Bien_, I will be going to the castle now. You will all stay here until further notice. Alvarez!" He called to his older brother. People often said that the two were similar in many ways, same green eyes, same long, dark brown hair, same tan skin . . . Despite these similarities, the brothers often quarreled, but, they were very close, so it never escalated into something dangerous. They had been through a lot together, and had a very strong bond. Alvarez was actually one of the only few people that Antonio trusted with his life. "You are in charge of the ship while I am gone."

"Okay, _hermano_, I'm not gonna let ya down," Alvarez shot his brother a lazy smile.

" . . . I know."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She bit her lip nervously, and slender fingers played with the frilly sleeve of her dress. Lovina did feel slightly claustrophobic and uncomfortable in her dress, but she had learned to get used to the rough fabric. Her dress was an emerald green, with dark and intricate flower patterns. Laces and bows adorned the dress, and there was delicate white lace at the end of the flared sleeves. She adjusted the tight ruffled light green top, and, as she walked downstairs, Lovina thanked the heavens that the maids had not seen her sneak her simple black flats. She could not walk in heels to save her life!

The Italian girl could hear hushed whispers, and distinctly heard three very different voices. She recognized one to be her grandfather's, and the other belonging to the prince of Germania himself. The third, however, was not familiar, and she stopped, unsure as to why there was a stranger present. Romulus had not told her they were having more guests over . . . Maybe it was just one of her _nonno's _friends . . .

She was so occupied with her thoughts, that she had not heard the sound of footsteps heading downstairs.

"Ve, _Ciao, sorella_- Mpfh!" Lovina immediately put a hand over her younger sister's mouth, knowing that she would not be silenced otherwise. She put a finger over her lips and gestured for her sister to keep quiet. Felicia nodded as her sister slowly lowered her hand, bright brown eyes wide and shining with curiosity. Lovina ignored her though, in favor of trying to listen to the conversation. However, she could only gather little snippets of what the men (Assuming the unfamiliar voice was male), were saying.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

" . . . Anyone see you . . . arrive?"

"No . . . everything is fine . . . what . . . called me . . . for?" The third voice had a light Spanish accent, so Lovina assumed that he must have come from the Kingdom of España.

"Well, I-"

Ludwig was interrupted by the loud sound of someone sneezing. He looked over towards the source of the sound, and saw what appeared to a shadow of someone, or something near the bottom of the stairs.

"Ahem, er, Your Highness," Romulus turned to him, and the German gestured to the shadows, and the Italian King started to walk towards the steps.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"_Mi dispiace, sorella_! I didn't mean to, honest!" Felicia apologized frantically, desperately trying to calm her angry sister. Lovina glared at the other Italian. Surely, their cover was blown? Careful not to get spotted, she put a hand on the rail to prevent herself from falling, and leaned forward to look. Ludwig seemed to still be conversing with her grandfather and the stranger, so she sighed in relief. But, that relief was short lived, because as soon as she leaned forward again, she saw her _nonno_ turn around and head toward where they were.

"Damn! Feli, quickly, go up the stairs!"

"Eh? Why-"

"Hurry up and do it!" Feli squeaked and ran up the steps, the eldest of the two right behind her. After reaching the middle of the flight of stairs, she topped for a moment, and turned to see if her grandfather was following her. As soon as she heard heavy steps still heading upstairs, she cursed under her breath. He would surely catch them now . . .

Unless . . .

"Fuck . . . quick, er, pretend you are fixing my hair, or . . . something."

"Ve? Didn't _nonno_ tell you not to use that bad word?"

"Just act natural!"

Romulus narrowed his eyes suspiciously as he finally caught up to his two granddaughters. Lovina was fiddling with one of the bows on her gown, and Felicia seemed to be untying the golden colored bow that fastened her sibling's ponytail, letting her dark hair gently fall on her shoulders.

"You look so much better with your hair loose, Lovina!"

"Tch, I suppose."

His expression softened, and he couldn't help but smile fondly at suddenly frowned thoughtfully. Had they heard what they were talking about earlier? So far, they seemed to show no sign of hearing anything . . . Though, Feli's smile seemed slightly forced, which was very unusual for his easy going granddaughter.

'_I will make sure to ask them about it later . . .'_

"Ah, _mia nipoti_!" He grinned brightly, similar to Felicia's bright smile. "Are you ready to greet our guests?"

Lovina started to bite her lip again, and gave her grandfather a sharp, serious glance. "_Nonno _. . . I . . ."

"Come, come downstairs!" He smiled, and glanced back at his eldest granddaughter. His stern look seemed to say; _'We will talk later.' _The Italian girl nodded slightly, and turned to see if her sister had noticed her and Romulus' silent exchange. Feli, oblivious as always, was now running her hands over the soft skirt of her light pink gown.

"_Si, nonno_ . . ." With that, both girls and Romulus headed back downstairs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Gentlemen! I would like you to meet my precious granddaughters. The girl to my right is the younger of the two, this is Felicia," The cheerful girl smiled adorably and curtsied politely. "And the girl to my left is the eldest. This is Lovina." The second girl also curtsied, and smiled, albeit only a tiny bit.

His eyes scanned over the two princesses, and he smiled politely at Felicia, removing his tri-cone hat and bowing respectfully. "Greetings, Your Majesties."

"_Ciao~_" Felicia giggled, and his smile grew at how cute she was. Ciao . . . That was hello in Italian, right? It had been a long time since he had come to this place . . . However . . . Green eyes glanced at the other Italian princess, and he smirked. She was now frowning, and looked to want to be at any other place than here. She appeared to be quite a challenge . . . and certainly seemed a bit mysterious and . . . alluring. Her radiant green . . . no, brown . . . no, hazel . . . eyes spotted him admiring her, and her delicate cheeks turned a light, rosy pink. She scowled, before crossing her arms over her chest and turning away with a loud _'Hmph!'_.

_Ador8able._

The man walked over to the older princess, and gently grabbed her hand, placing a chaste, tender kiss on it. He looked up at her with a smirk, and chuckled at her shocked expression. Her pretty eyes were wide, and her lips parted slightly. His eyes briefly looked over to see if Romulus was looking, but the king was busy conversing with Ludwig. He looked back at Lovina, letting go of her hand, and bowed.

"Antonio Fernández-Carriedo. A pleasure meeting you, _princesa_."

She huffed as her blush got darker, and the girl's eyes shone with anger.

"Y-You-"

"Ah, we should probably finish preparing for the Engagement Party, _si_? Catherine! Andrea!" Romulus called the two maids, whom immediately rushed over to the king. "How are the preparations for the party tonight? Are we alright on food?"

"The preparations are for the party are coming along splendid, sir." Catherine curtsied and smiled calmly at the Italian king. She giggled a bit; of course the first thing Romulus would think about was food.

"And we have enough food to feed hundreds of people!" The younger, and more energetic of the two, Andrea, exclaimed joyously.

"Good, good. _Per favore_, go to the _cucina_ and see if Chef Alessandro needs your help. Then, you may take the rest of the day off if you wish."

"T-Thank you so much, sir!" Andrea blurted out. They both curtsied again quickly, before heading to where the kitchen was. The man smiled, and turned to Antonio, who had quickly moved away from Lovina when the king had turned around. He had heard the man was very protective of his two granddaughters, ever since their parents had gotten into that accident just a few years before . . . And the pirate captain certainly did not want to incur the man's wrath, not now, when he was so close to getting that treasure . . . And then, he would become the greatest pirate to have ever lived, eliminating those who dared cross him in the past.

His train of thought was stopped when he realized that the king was asking him a question, shaking his head slightly, he asked, "Er . . . _perdóname_, I seem to have gotten a bit distracted . . . What were you saying, Your Highness?"

"You and your crew may come to the Engagement Party if you wish, Antonio. We still have not finished our discussion . . ."

"Oh, _gracias señor_," The pirate nodded once. "And, who is this Engagement Party for . . .?"

"Ah," Romulus moved to stand next to Ludwig, and put a firm hand on his shoulder. "It is for Ludwig here." The German's turned when he had heard his name, as he had been conversing with Felicia. "He is getting married."

"_Bueno_, Ludwig, you never told me you were getting married! You've grown a lot, amigo. Hah, if I told Gil about this, he would probably not believe it . . ." The pirate patted the German prince on the back heartily, and laughed at the blush on the embarrassed blond's pale cheeks. "I almost didn't believe it either, you know, when King Romulus said your name, haha. _Te felicito_! Who is the lucky woman?"

"E-Er . . ." Ludwig stuttered, still quite embarrassed.

"He is marrying my beautiful granddaughter, Lovina!"

The Italian princess, who had been fiddling with the lace on the sleeves of her dress, looked up when she had heard her name.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'_T-That bastard! How dare he kiss my hand like that!? Idiota . . . _'

Normally men only did that if they were to court a lady . . .

Lovina shook her head furiously to rid herself of those thoughts. She needed to remain calm . . .

'_Did he just smirk at me?'_

Forest green eyes glinted mischievously. All she could do was stare, and she felt her cheeks heat up. Lovina hoped that she was not blushing. When she heard him chuckle, she guessed that she probably was.

"Antonio Fernández-Carriedo. A pleasure meeting you, _princesa_."

Princesa . . .? That meant princess in Spanish, right? As princess, Lovina was required to learn all at least three languages to deal with foreign affairs when she becomes queen. But, that happened rarely, as the king usually handled everything, while the queen just handled small matters.

She had decided that she did not like this man. It was clear that he was a pirate. In his hand was a tri-cone hat with a ridiculously large white feather. His elegant coat reached his knees, and was red with gold trims and buttons. He wore a white blouse that exposed part of his chest (She blushed at this) and hanging from his neck was a silver cross necklace. When he had taken off his hat, she noticed his long, somewhat curly dark hair tied with a red ribbon, sun-kissed skin and bright jade orbs.

'_He's definitely not bad looking . . .' _She mused, and her eyes almost widened in horror at what she thought. _'No! What the hell am I thinking!?'_

He felt her cheeks heat up even more, and huffed, now angry.

"Y-You-"

The Italian woman was suddenly interrupted by her grandfather, and she didn't not know whether to be relieved (for the pirate had stepped away from her), or angry (that she had been interrupted).

"Ah, we probably finish preparing for the Engagement Party, _si_? Catherine! Andrea!" Romulus called the two maids, whom immediately rushed over to the king. "How are the preparations for the party tonight? Are we alright on food?"

Lovina rolled her eyes. Of course. The first thing on her nonno's mind was _food_. Although . . . she was a bit hungry . . . And Alessandro was a splendid cook.

"The preparations are for the party are coming along splendid, sir." Catherine curtsied and smiled calmly at the Italian king. She giggled a bit; of course the first thing Romulus would think about was food.

The princess tuned out the rest of the conversation, her mind now on this Engagement Party, which she was certainly not looking forward to, she sent Ludwig a sharp glance, and despite the fact that he was talking to his sister, he noticed this and shot a glance back at her, and she nodded curtly.

She knew that he did not love her as well. They both hadn't wanted this marriage, but they had to do what was best for the Kingdom and people, and did not want to disappoint their families.

. . . Lovina also knew that he was in love with her younger sister, Felicia.

Her prettier, cheerful, talented, younger sister.

Felicia.

The name itself came from the word _felice_, which meant happy in Italian.

'_It fit her well,' _She thought, looking over at her sister to see her laugh at something Ludwig told her.

Lovina.

. . . Her name came from the name Rovino, which meant . . .

'_Rovino . . . t-to ruin . . .' _The princess frowned. _'I guess it fits me well too . . .'_

Even though she did not love him, it did hurt a little. It seemed that everyone favored her sibling over her. She did not blame them. Lovina was aggressive, untalented, and clumsy. It did make sense that people fawned over her sister and either criticized her, compared the two or didn't spare her a glance. She was just the angry one, the other princess, and Felicia's older sister. That was it.

Felicia should have probably gotten engaged instead.

Sighing and looking down to her hands, she started to unconsciously play with the lace on her sleeves, something that she had been doing a lot lately.

She was nervous. What if she was not a good queen? She hated to disappoint people. She especially did not want to disappoint her grandfather. He was one of the few people that actually believe in her. But . . . Lovina could not help but think that Romulus favored his younger granddaughter just a little bit.

If only she could leave, and travel like she had always wanted. Her mamma used to tell her stories of how she had visited the other six kingdoms, and a few unexplored lands before she married their father and became queen . . . The princess had pretended not to have been interested, but now, she wanted to see the world just like her mother had.

"He is marrying my beautiful granddaughter, Lovina!"

'_Huh?'_ She looked up, to see everyone staring at her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Antonio's eyebrows furrowed and he frowned when he had heard that.

'_Pity . . . I would have liked to have a new toy . . .'_

He suddenly felt a pang of envy, but ignored it and instead just congratulated the German again.

The church bell suddenly rang, signaling that it was already late noon. Antonio turned, put his hat back on, and started walking towards the castle doors.

"_Lo siento, señor_, but I must leave now. I left my brother in charge of my ship, and I know from . . . er, experience that he cannot be left with it for too long,"

"Wait!" The pirate stopped, and turned to look at the king. "You are coming later tonight,_ si_?" Romulus shot him a look, and he nodded.

"Of course, señor. Some of my crew and I will come later," As he continued to walk to the door, he passed Lovina, and, quickly whispered something to her, before chuckling and finally leaving the castle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lovina looked at Antonio, who frowned after her _nonno_ spoke. _'Why is the bastard frowning . . .?'_

She squeaked softly as the church bell rang, as she had not been expecting it and it had startled her. She looked around to see if anyone had heard it, and sighed in relief when no one did.

"_Lo siento, señor_, but I must leave now. I left my brother in charge of my ship, and I know from . . . er, experience that he cannot be left with it for too long,"

'_What the hell does he mean by 'experience'? I probably do not want to know anyway . . .'_

"Wait!" The pirate stopped, and turned to look at the king. "You are coming later tonight, si?"

"Of course, señor. Some of my crew and I will come later," The pirate continued to walk to the door . . . Wait, why did it seem like he was heading right in her direction. Without warning, she felt his hand brush hers, and felt his hot breath tickling her ear.

"I will see you later, princesa . . ." He whispered huskily.

She shivered, and retracted her hand away from his touch. Lovina scowled, but no matter much she disliked him, she found it hard to look away from him until she heard the castle doors close. Shaking her head furiously like she did before, the Italian woman walked towards one of the chairs near the door, and slowly sat.

She had not missed the silent exchange her grandfather and the pirate had.

Something was up, and she was definitely going to find out what it was.

_Image of Lovina's dress: . _

_Image of Felicia's dress: photos/33328559 N07/3183453743/_

_**Hope you all enjoyed, lovelies. :) Please review and tell me if anything should be corrected or changed.**_

_**Constructive criticism is welcome, but flames are not. **_

_*****Stardust98*****_


	3. Due

_**Here is the third chappy! I'm sorry for how long it took, I suffered writer's block for quite a few days . . . And that's why I'm iffy about this one.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia. Himaruya does. I only own the plot of this story and . . . yeah.**_

* * *

_**.Corazón Salvaje.**_

_.Due._

"Is everything ready? No, Marco, move that chandelier a little bit to the side. Yes, right there, _meraviglioso_! No, no Andrea, the appetizers go there . . . . Yes, there. Perfect! That looks magnificent!" Julius exclaimed, clapping his hands together excitedly. "Catherine! Is _mia nipote_ ready yet?"

"Yes, sire. Everything is going well. Lovina is ready and in her room."

"Good. Tell her I will go see her in a moment."

"Yes, sire."

The king walked up the stairs to his eldest granddaughter's bedroom. He knocked on the door softly, waiting for her permission to come in. After a while, Lovina quietly called for him to come in, and he opened the door and saw her sitting in front of the vanity mirror, frowning thoughtfully.

They were quiet for a few heartbeats, both wanting to talk to the other, but having no idea on what to say first. Julius sighed, and began.

"You look very nice, Lovi."

Her eyes blank, she flinched slightly at the nickname, as it brought up old memories.

"_Grazie, nonno_ . . ." She murmured quietly, still looking at herself in the mirror.

What could she say? In a few days, she would be married to Ludwig, and her fate would be sealed. She would stay here, and become queen of Italia, and all her dreams of travel and freedom would be destroyed. Crushed into thousands of pieces. It was all inevitable. Never before had the idea being free and having the power to control her destiny seem so unattainable.

"Lovina, _mia nipote_, I know that you are not very happy with this . . ."

The princess did not respond, only continued to stare at herself.

"But, you have to understand. This is for the good of both Kingdoms, and both our people. Ludwig's grandfather and I both agree that uniting our Kingdoms in this way is the best possible thing to do . . . Especially now that Britannia and Rossiya are allies. They could pose a threat to us."

She scoffed. It was all stupid. So, so _stupid_. Why couldn't Felicia get married instead? Ludwig loved her, not Lovina, and Felicia would probably be a much better choice than her temperamental older sister.

". . . _Mamma_ always said that we were in charge of what we wanted to do in life. That we always had the right to make our own choices. Before she . . . s-she . . ." Lovina brought her gaze down to her hands, which were placed on the skirt of her dress.

" . . . It was not your fault, you know. Nothing could be done. Her . . . depression was too much to handle. After he died-"

"That's not true and you know it!" She suddenly hissed, startling the man. "Nobody cared after they knew that she was going to die. Felicia and I were the only ones who still had hope. She could have fucking lived!" He did not bother to chastise her for her language, for that might only anger her more. "She should be here now, telling us another one of her stories . . . Taking us to the sea shore and telling Feli and me to listen for the sound of the ocean from the seashells like we used to . . . I should've fucking tried harder. And you . . . y-you were out at sea playing fucking pirate," The last words were laced with venom, and the king winced at the truth of it all.

" . . . I . . . Look-"

"Just go _per favore_ . . . I'll be down in a moment."

"Lovina-"

"Just go. Please." She looked up at him, and her eyes shone with unshed angry tears.

He sighed heavily, and walked towards the door. ". . . As you wish." He looked at her sadly once more, before leaving the room and closing the door gently. Once he had left, Lovina sighed and wiped at her tears angrily. She turned her gaze to the window, staring at the ocean longingly, desiring an impossible dream.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Antonio looked over his large crew, trying to decide whom he should bring with him to the castle. Gilbert was definitely not coming with him; even though he was Antonio's first mate and best friend. He could just make João look after the ship like before . . . Provided that the . . . 'incident' that happened last time he was in charge does not happen again . . . He definitely did not need to waste any more money again on ship repairs . . .

"Alright men," Elizaveta stared at him pointedly. He smiled teasingly at her. ". . . and women, a select number of you are accompanying me to the castle tonight. The rest of you will stay and guard the ship, João will be in charge once again," The captain nodded to his brother. "Lucia," The ship's medic, looked up, dark blue eyes blank, and quietly walked to stand next to her captain. "Francis, and . . . Elizaveta. The rest of you will stay here."

Red eyes stared at him in question, and he sent a stern gaze back. Gilbert understood, and nodded, and walked away, shoulders slumped in sadness.

". . . He's still thinking about his grandfather, huh?" Antonio turned towards the source of the voice, and saw Elizaveta, looking at Gilbert with sympathy shining in her light green eyes. "Just yesterday, he was telling me all about how he and his brother used to spend time together . . . He really misses him . . ."

"I know," The captain replied, keeping his gaze on the castle instead.

"Then why didn't you choose for him to come? He could have seen his brother."

"Yes, but . . . It would not be a good idea . . . I heard the king of Germania was also going to be present tonight, and I don't think it would do Gilbert any good to see that man."

"I suppose you're right . . . Should I go get Francis now?"

"Yes, tell him that we are to leave shortly," The woman nodded, and headed off, leaving Antonio alone with his thoughts.

'_Even though Julius is sending us into this mission, I am sure other pirates are looking for the treasure as well . . . I might have to be careful, with Arthur especially. Who knows if he is already aware of the treasure already, knowing ese bastardo, he could be after it too . . . I'm not going to stay very long, maybe a few days to get enough supplies for the trip and that will be it.' _Antonio frowned, his thoughts drifting off to the princess that had caught his eye. _' . . . I don't know why I can't stop thinking about her . . . She seems familiar somehow.'_

"Captain, we're ready to go," Elizaveta said, waiting at the deck with Francis and Lucia standing next to her. Antonio nodded and joined the group, beginning to make his way to the grand castle of Italia.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lovina looked on, utterly bored, from her place at the top of the steps. The guests had started to come in only a few minutes ago, and yet, there were already many people gathered in the large ballroom. Elegant chandeliers hung from the ivory colored ceilings, shimmering crystals that hung from them shone brilliantly in the light. A large white marble staircase was right in the middle, and the guests did not notice the irritated princess at the top of the stairs as they danced, ate and chatted with one another.

"Excuse me, Your Highness," The princess turned around, and came face to face with Catherine. She smiled warmly, being friends with the kind maid. Catherine smiled back, knowing that Lovina only smiled around those she truly trusted. "But it is almost time for you to descend into the ballroom."

"Catherine, you don't need to call me 'Your Highness'. I thought we went over this, dammit. Just call me Lovina, okay?"

"Alright, alright," Used to the girl's foul language, Catherine nodded, chuckling softly. "Come, I must finish preparing you for your entrance."

The Italian princess sighed. "Whatever. I honestly can't wait until this is over with." Her eyes widened as she remembered something. "Catherine, how is Marcello doing?" She bit her lip, concerned for her little brother, who was hit with a fatal sickness just a few months ago. No one knows what the disease is, or its cause. She just hoped that he would get better . . . She had already lost her parents, and did not want to lose her little brother.

'_I would give anything to make him well again . . . Even my life . . .'_

"He has been doing a lot better, You- Lovina," The maid corrected herself quickly. "You know that Andrea has been taking care of him," Catherine's amber eyes glinted with clear amusement. "The girl has barely left his side ever since he fell ill."

" . . . She really cares about him a lot, doesn't she?" Lovina asked, and the maid nodded in response. "Hm, and here I thought the little bastard was a flirt."

"Oh, he was, until he met Andrea. Mind you, those two are quite the adorable sight."

"_Mio fratellino_ is lucky . . ." The princess murmured, and the maid felt a bout of sympathy for her. "I just want it all fucking over with . . . the marriage, everything."

" . . . I'm sorry, Yo- Lovina. I wish I could help you, I really do, but I cannot do a single thing about it."

"No, no it's alright. I shouldn't be bothering you about this . . ."

"Lovina, you can tell me anything. I will not mind, you know I will always be here to listen," Catherine said, her voice soft and warm.

"_G-Grazie_ . . ." Lovina blushed, and began to walk at a faster pace. "L-Let's hurry up. I d-don't want to be late." Why did she stutter every time she felt embarrassed? It was a habit she hated, yet one she could unfortunately not help.

"Of course."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the pirate entered the large castle, he looked around, and smirked arrogantly at the shocked gazes some of the guests sent him. He wasn't bothered by it at all; in fact, he was already used to it. Pirates were known to be dangerous and crafty, evil beings, so he did not really care when a little blonde maid nearly dropped her plate at the sight of him and his crew members. In fact, he reveled in their fear, and it only boosted his (already very high) ego.

"Excuse me just a moment, ladies," Julius moved away from a group of women that he was flirting with just a few moments before. They winked at him coquettishly, and he waved at them lazily.

Antonio raised an eyebrow at this, but said nothing.

"Ah, Antonio! There you are! _Ciao_, Francis!" The king patted the Frenchman on the back, and Francis smiled politely, although Antonio could see that Romulus' friendly pat was painfully strong, and Francis' smile looked a bit forced.

"_Bonjour_, Your Highness," He greeted. Elizaveta just nodded respectfully to him, and Julius nodded back. "You seem to be doing quite well."

"Ah _si_, it has been a lovely time of peace for all of us. But, to be honest, I am not completely sure how long this peace will last . . ."

"Since Britannia and Rossiya are allies now, correct?" The four of them turned to Lucia, who looked at them with emotionless dark blue eyes. "I know that Italia and Rossiya have not always gotten along well . . . That is why you are worried, right?"

"Si . . . I had invited the King and Queen of Britannia and Rossiya to come tonight, but . . . it seems that they will be late," Julius frowned. "I really do hope they arrive soon . . ."

"Well, I-"

At that moment, all sounds in the room had ceased, and everyone's gaze was focused on someone on the top of the staircase. Antonio directed his gaze up there as well, and his jade seers widened slightly. Julius grinned brightly, and clapped his hands together in a bout of excitement.

"Everyone, I present to you my eldest granddaughter, and your soon to be Queen, Lovina Vargas!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You are ready, Lovina," Catherine stepped back and looked at the princess' dress, making sure everything was in its right place. "You look lovely."

Lovina did not respond, and only looked at her reflection on the vanity mirror. Her dark hair was loose, and went down her back in wavy curls. She tried to smile like her little sister did, but it didn't look right . . . She frowned, and moved away from the mirror.

"Let's go," Lovina murmured, and exited her room. She and Catherine walked together in silence, and, as Lovina walked, the sounds of chatter and music coming from the ballroom grew louder. She inhaled deeply, already feeling her stomach ache with nervousness and anticipation.

"Are you ready?" The maid asked.

"_Si_ . . . I'm ready."

The guests had grown quiet when the princess entered the room. As she felt everyone's gaze on her, she started to fiddle with the skirt of her dress. But, Lovina kept her chin held high, and stared ahead confidently.

"Everyone, I present to you my eldest granddaughter, and your soon to be Queen, Lovina Vargas!"

Slowly, she started to go down the large staircase, focused on nothing else but making sure she didn't stumble or fall.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The princess had started to descend the staircase, and Antonio couldn't keep his eyes off of her. Her unique eyes glinted confidently, and her brown hair shown in the light. The light pink gown contrasted wonderfully with her olive complexion. The top was a fitted corset, with intricate and complex patterns at the very top. The bodice was decorated with beaded lace in different shades of pink and ivory. Behind her, the ballgown was draped with a train, and it made Lovina look like she was floating. It was truly a magnificent sight to behold . . .

Antonio still could not stop looking at her as she came down and greeted her grandfather, curtsying politely. He took her hand, and led her across the room, to where Ludwig was waiting. The guests immediately made way for their soon to be Queen, as her and their King moved towards the grand table at which Ludwig was leaning on. When he saw them coming, his blue eyes widened and he stood up straight, fixed his white lace jabot. Lovina held out her hand, and the captain thought he saw something flash in her eyes, and saw her gaze flicker to something behind Ludwig and back at the prince. Antonio followed where she had looked and spotted Felicia, in a light blue gown. She was smiling, but . . . it looked forced, and her eyes looked a bit dull . . . it seemed as if she was upset . . .

_'Interesting . . .'_

Ludwig took the princess' hand and led her to sit next to him at the large table at the end of the ballroom. The prince pulled out the chair for her, and she thanked him quietly before taking a seat, Ludwig also sat soon after.

"Thank you all for coming!" Julius spoke. "Please, enjoy yourselves with our wonderful selection of food and drink made by our very own head cook, Alessandro," Said man bowed as the large crowd clapped. "Let us celebrate these good times of prosperity and wealth, and our union with the Kingdom of Germania!" The guests cheered and clapped as Julius bowed. After a while, the sounds of lively chatter and violin resumed, and everyone went back to whatever they had been doing before. "Sorry about that."

"No, no, it is fine, _señor_," Antonio replied, forcing himself to finally look away from the Italian princess.

"I will call upon you later. I have a few things to . . . sort out," Julius frowned, and glanced over to where the King of Germania was speaking with two guests that had arrived. As Antonio looked closer, he immediately recognized who they were.

A woman with bright green eyes and long blonde hair entered the room. It was the Queen of Britannia herself, . . . Kirkland. She tensed upon seeing Julius, and her lips were in a tight line. A hand was put on her shoulder, which belonged to none other than Ivan Braginski. Ruler of the Kingdom of Rossiya. His cold, violet eyes gleamed as he smiled at . Antonio felt a chill run down his spine, but the British Queen seemed to not be bothered by the gesture, though she was still frozen in place.

"Captain . . ." Now slightly startled, he turned to Elizaveta, who had a determined gleam in her emerald orbs. "I think . . . I think I should go talk to Ludwig . . . You know, let him know that his brother is doing alright."

The captain glanced over at Ludwig, who seemed to be dancing with Lovina. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he felt himself grow a bit angry, though he had no clue as to why. "I will accompany you."

"Alright."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lovina hissed softly as Ludwig gently put a hand on her hip as they began to dance. The prince sighed, already used to the princess' short temper. She glanced over at Felicia, who was sitting at a table nearby, eyes downcast.

"Felicia is upset."

"I know . . ."

" . . . Clearly she should become Queen! You both already love each other, and don't give me that look because it's fuc- er, obvious, and she would obviously make a much better Queen than I ever could. It's all so ridiculous . . ." Ludwig raised an eyebrow at the princess' little slip-up, but chose not to comment, as one should never say anything while she ranted. He had once learned the hard way.

"Well, I-"

"Hello, Ludwig," The prince turned around, and his blue eyes widened in surprise as Elizaveta approached him, smiling. Antonio was right behind the woman, and grinned at Lovina, who just scowled in return. "How are you? It's been so long."

"I . . . I am fine . . . How is-"

"Gilbert is doing well," She sighed. "He misses you."

"Where is he? Is he here!?" The prince looked around behind the duo, and his blue eyes dulled with sadness as he realized his brother was not there.

Elizaveta frowned, feeling pity for the man. "He . . . couldn't come, because-" She paused, glancing at Ludwig's grandfather, and the prince followed her green gaze before nodding.

"I understand . . ."

"Er, well, if you don't mind, I would like to talk with you, Ludwig. You know, to catch up," The woman smiled kindly at him, and Ludwig nodded, and then turned to the Italian princess.

"You do not mind, do you Lovina . . .?"

She hesitate for a moment before shaking her head. "I do not mind, you may go."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_' . . . Finally, I have a little time to myself. I don't hate the bastard, it's just . . . everything's so complicated now . . . What with Marcello's sickness, and me getting in the way of Feli and the potato bastard being happy.'_

"May I have the pleasure of dancing with you, _princesa_?" The pirate Captain asked, bowing politely.

_'Crap, crap, CRAP! I forgot that damn pirate was with that woman . . .'_

Lovina frowned and glared at Antonio. She was just about to snap at him, when she had realized that Julius was nearby, and she would upset him if she lost her temper in public.

" . . . Y-Yes, you m-may . . ." She gritted her teeth and narrowed her eyes in dislike. He smirked, and took her hand in his just as a song was beginning to play. The song was very slow, and couples around them began to dance, their bodies pressed close together. Antonio's eyes gleamed, and the princess hissed, already regretting dancing with this stupid pirate. She felt her face heat up and cursed under her breath.

Antonio twirled her around just as the other couples in the room had done, and then pressed their bodies flush together and started to sway gently back and forth. The princess just growled at her misfortune. Where was her _nonno_ when she needed him . . .?

Then, suddenly, she realized that maybe she could try to get the secret out of this bastard here. Even if it was highly unlikely he would tell her, it might slip out by accident.

She was about to ask him something, but stopped when she felt hands slowly going lower from her waist.

Grabbing his hand roughly, she put it back onto its original place on her hip, and glared at him with a ferocity that would have scared any other. "Watch it, _bastardo_, just because you're one of my nonno's friends or whatever, does not mean I will not rip you apart," She hissed, and her scowl deepened when he merely chuckled and smirked at her. She was getting tired of that stupid, irritating smirk, and just wanted to wipe that dumb smirk right off his face.

"Ah, feisty . . ." He chuckled again as her cheeks reddened a bright crimson, and she glared at him as a warning. "Isn't a_ princesa_ supposed to always be polite to her guests?" He continued his teasing, finding her reactions highly amusing.

Choosing to ignore that comment, she tried asking him the question she had wanted to ask him earlier again. "So . . . what exactly brings you here, pirate?"

"You may call me Antonio, _princesa_."

"I'd rather not."

"You should. I would love to hear my name said from a _mujer tan bella como tú_."

The princess' eyes widened, and her cheeks were tinted a light pink, which Antonio found to be quite adorable. "Y-You . . . b-bastard!" She stuttered. The song slowly came to a halt, and the pirate let go of the princess, then bowed.

"I must go now. I hope to see you later, _princesa_," With that, he winked, and walked over towards Julius, who had been waiting for him at the top of the staircase with a woman that had long, pale blonde hair, and sapphire seers that were void of any emotion. Lovina watched the trio until they had went into the library, and her eyes narrowed in suspicion. What on Earth were they doing up there . . .?

* * *

**Spanish:**

_**señor (sir)**_

**_". . . mujer tan bella como tú." (". . . woman as beautiful as you.")_**

**_princesa (princess)_**

**_ese bastardo (that bastard)_**

**Italian:**

**_meraviglioso (_**_**marvelous)**_

_**nipote (granddaughter/grandson)**_

_**per favore (please)**_

_**Mio fratellino (my little brother)**_

_**Lucia is Fem! Norway.**_

_**Note: I know Antonio is being a bit of a flirt right now, even if he knows Lovina is engaged to Ludwig. He's just teasing her, he hasn't developed any real feelings for her (yet). That'll come soon, darlings. ;)**_

_**Andrea will be part of a big plot later. Just keep that in mind. :D**_

_**Please tell me if anything should be fixed, added, etc. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated!**_

_**R&R!**_

_*****Stardust98*****_


	4. Tres

**_Hello my lovely readers! I am back, after a long delay! Sorry about that! Just had to update some of my other stories, and deal with some writer's block . . . This chapter might be a bit boring . . . But the true action will begin very soon! Do not worry!_**

**_And a response to a review, yes, this is going to be PruHun. I don't know who I'm going to pair Canada up with just yet, but it might be either France or Russia . . . Derp a herp._**

**____****Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia. Himaruya does. I only own the plot of this story and . . . yeah.**

* * *

_****__.Corazón Salvaje._

___.Tres._

_'I have to know what they're doing in there...'_

The Italian princess looked around, before heading up the steps, to the library, where her grandfather, that woman and the pirate bastard were just a few moments ago. Lovina winced at the soft swishing noises her dress made as she walked. She grabbed the skirt off the ground and lifted it up, then crept carefully towards the doors. The large dark wood doors were open, so she leaned against the wall next to the doorway, and put her ear as close as she could without being seen. Lovina hoped that she would not be caught, or she would surely be in deep trouble.

"Antonio, before I start, you must promise to tell no one of this."

"Of course, _señor_," When the Captain saw Julius looking at Lucia uncertainly, he added, "Do not worry, Your Highness, Lucia is one of my most trusted crew members, and has great knowledge of the stars and sea."

"...Isn't it rumored that having women on a ship is taboo?"

"_Sí_ _señor_, but I do not care for such rumors. Loyalty is all that matters to me," Antonio shrugged.

"Besides, every ship needs a woman on them to set those idiotic sailors straight," Lucia said as she crossed her arms over her chest. Antonio grinned, and Julius stared at her for a few moments, surprised, until he started to laugh loudly.

"You are quite right, my dear!" He guffawed. "...Anyway, back to what we were discussing earlier. I talked to the oracle, Adriana, a few weeks ago, and I had asked her how long this time of prosperity and wealth in my Kingdom would last. Normally, I would not believe the prophecies she would tell me, but this time..." His amber eyes darkened. "I have seen signs. I am definitely worried about that alliance between Britannia and Rossiya, since Italia and Rossiya had never really been on the best terms... But, that is not my primary concern at the moment. There is a dark crisis to come. Not only for Italia, but for all other Kingdoms as well. Adriana said it had to do something with the amulet itself.

"I have had dreams... No, not dreams, nightmares, horrible, gruesome visions that may as well have come from the depths of hell themselves. I... I fear for my sanity," Lovina looked at her grandfather closely, and for the first time, noticed how tired and haunted he looked. She had been so distracted with the engagement and her brother's sickness that she had not noticed her nonno to be in such a bad condition..."Even though I may not like some of the Kingdoms, specifically their rulers, I definitely do not wish that such an event befall any of the six Kingdoms."

"If you do not mind me asking sir, what exactly did you see in these... nightmares?" Lucia asked, a curious gleam in her sapphire seers.

" There was... Darkness everywhere, people starving, tortured..." The King shuddered, and the princess had never seen her grandfather so frightened. "Everything was dark and... blood, there was so much blood..." He murmured. "And the strange thing is, that I always see a pair of brown eyes, gleaming with absolute malice and evil. And that's always when I wake up."

"Oh..." Lucia's eyes were slightly wide, and despite the fact that the woman was trying to keep her composure, her lips were in a tight line, and her body was tense. She looked a bit shaken from nonno's description of his nightmares.

However, Antonio had not said a word about them.

Lovina glanced at the pirate, and narrowed her eyes in suspicion. The Captain green orbs were glancing around the room; as if he was looking for something... She did not trust him. As she moved slightly to the left to get a better view, she knocked a book down, and winced at the loud thud it made when it fell to the ground. The princess, panicked, immediately moved back and pressed herself gently on the bookshelf, trying to calm her heavy breathing.

"Did you hear that?" She heard her _nonno_ ask. "Is someone in here?" He called. Lovina closed her eyes as she heard footsteps heading towards her hiding place. She closed her eyes and prayed that she wouldn't be found.

"King Julius!"

Lovina opened her eyes at the familiar voice, and recognized it to be Catherine's. She sighed softly in relief, and slowly turned her head to see what was going on. Her eyes widened as she saw how close her nonno had gotten to where she was. If it wasn't for Catherine, she would have surely been caught.

"I-I'm sorry to interrupt, but I must inform you that the Queen of Britannia and the King of Rossiya are leaving..." Catherine looked towards where Lovina was, and the princess put a finger to her mouth when their eyes met, signaling for the maid to not tell on her. Catherine still looked shocked, and Lovina sent her a pleading look, which finally made the maid give a small nod, albeit a bit hesitantly.

"No, no, it is alright... Give me a moment, I have to check something..." Julius began to once again walk towards where Lovina was, but Catherine stopped him.

"E-Er, do not worry, sire! I will check that for you! Maybe sort out some b-books too..." Catherine smiled warmly at the King, and he glanced at the bookshelf once more, before turning to the maid and nodding.

"Well, alright." He turned to Antonio and Lucia. "I will be back in a minute." Antonio nodded to the King as he left, and Catherine acknowledged the Captain and Lucia with a nod, before walking over to where the princess was, and pretending to organize the books. Lovina quickly gestured for her to come closer so that they would not be heard, and Catherine then made it as if she dropped a book on the floor.

"Your Highness— Lovina, what _are_ you doing here?"

"...I noticed recently that my grandfather has been rather... secretive lately. I just want to know what the hell is going on!"

Catherine averted her eyes, and Lovina's olive seers narrowed.

"You knew about this, didn't you?" The maid stayed quiet. "Why the fuck does no one tell me about anything anymore!?"

"Excuse me, miss," Antonio stared at Catherine, an eyebrow raised. "Are you alright?"

"Er, y-yes, sir..." The Captain stared at her for a few moments, before turning back to Lucia. "That was close..." Catherine mumbled as she lowered her voice. She looked at Lovina, and stared into her angry hazel-green eyes.

"I'm sick and tired of being treated like a fucking fragile ass porcelain doll! _Maledizione!"_ She hissed, crossing her arms over her chest as she huffed.

"Lovina... Yes, I did know about this, but the king had told me not to tell you. He did not want you to be worried, especially since King Julius knows how upset you are over your marrying of Prince Ludwig." The princess frowned as she was reminded of her sister's sad eyes as she watched the prince and her dance.

"..._Si_, but he really can't keep anything like this from me, especially now, when I am to become queen! I must know everything that is going on with the kingdom, especially if something as terrible as this is to come!"

"_Si_, _io capisco_. I'm sorry, Lovina."

"No, no... It's alright.

The girls sat in silence for a little while, until Lovina spoke, a wistful gleam in her eyes.

"Catherine, was there ever a time, when you wanted to do something? Something you've always dreamed of?" The Italian princess asked, and the maid turned to her in surprise, before an embarrassed blush graced her fair complexion. No one had really asked her that before, other than Andrea...

"W-Well, I had always wanted to be a pianist... When I was young, my father used to give me piano lessons everyday... Until... until my sister passed." The maid looked away uncomfortably, and Lovina frowned.

"I-I'm sorry for asking, I didn't mean-"

"No, it's okay," Catherine smiled. "I am rather happy with the job I have now, Andrea can be hyper and a bit of a ditz sometimes, but I feel like she is like a little sister to me." The maid turned her gentle amber eyes to the princess. "And I'm also happy to have you as my friend, Lovina." Lovina blushed, and looked away bashfully.

"Y-Yeah, whatever..." Heavy footsteps came from the hallway, and she knew that her grandfather was coming back. "_Nonno's_ coming." Catherine got up, and dusted her skirts. "I will see you later, Lovina!" She waved, and opened the door as soon as Julius was about to come in. Lovina took this opportunity and tried to move to another spot as quietly as she could, just in case her _nonno _came to check that spot like he was about to do before. However, she tripped over a book on the floor, and was about to fall face first, but she put her hands in front of her to stop herself. She let out an involuntary squeak of surprise, and winced at the sound, hoping nobody had heard.

Lovina peeked over the shelves and sighed in relief when she saw Catherine and King Julius conversing. She slowly glanced over at the pirate and the woman with him, and to her horror, he was looking directly at her. Panicked, she ducked down, and after a moment, peeked up again. He wasn't looking at her anymore, and it seemed like he didn't see her...

"Everything is alright, sire. I have checked the entire library," Catherine said. "That might have just been a sound you heard from the floor above this one, Your Highness."

"Hm, alright. Thank you, Catherine. Now, can you please see if Chef Alessandro needs any help?"

"_Si_, _signore_," The maid curtsied politely, before exiting the room, with one quick glance at Lovina when Julius wasn't looking.

"Antonio, are you sure you want to go on this journey? It is quite dangerous..."

"_Si, señor_. My crew and I will depart in one day. We just have to restock our supplies, and we will be ready." Julius nodded and the pirate turned to leave. He turned and smirked, and Lovina froze when his green eyes stared in her direction, gleaming with mischievousness and something she could not identify...

"...Okay, that is fine. Thank you so, so much, Antonio," The King smiled warmly at the pirate, before both of them and Lucia exited the library, leaving Lovina to reflect and ponder on just what the hell happened, and _why did I blush when he looked at me!?_

Something was not right. She could feel it. She did not trust that fucking pirate bastard. Not one bit.

* * *

**(If there is something you want me to translate, tell me in a review! Oh, and I do not use Google Translate for my Italian or Spanish. I speak fluent Spanish, and am currently taking Italian classes.)**

**Italian:**

_**Io capisco **_**(I understand)**

**_Signore_ (Sir)**

_**Oh my. . . For this chapter, I had to overcome some serious writer's block, so I apologize if it is not as good as the other ones! Ehhh, this one's a liiiittle tiny bit shorter, but I promise, promise, promise I will make up for it the next chapter! Io prometto, belle genti. (Ugh, I hope I got that right. XD) The next chapter is coming right up! I already typed ahead and shit.**_

_**R&R! **_

_*****Stardust98*****_


	5. Quattro

**_Hello, darlings! I am back with another chappie! Now, THIS is where the real action starts! Heheh. And here, you get a glimpse of our beloved antagonist (Which is an OC by the way. I didn't want any nations to be villains.)! :) Heheh! I'm so excited! And this time, we have a little glimpse of Marcello (Seborga) and Andrea's (OC) little romance! Ah, young love . . . Damn, I sound old. XD And I don't know much about Seborga-kun, except that he's a little flirt and a very friendly guy, so he might be a bit OOC or something. Hehe. ^^;_**

**_And BIG THANKS to VocabelleAph8 for helping me with this chappie! Go check her out, she has an awesome SpainxFem!Romano story!_**

**_Oh and . . ._**

**_Andrea is 10._**

**_Marcello is 13._**

**_Catherine is 20._**

**____****Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia. Himaruya does. I only own the plot of this story and . . . yeah.**

* * *

**_.Cσrαzón Sαlvαjє._**

_.Quattro._

She hummed softly as she cleaned out the shelves in the large pantry located in the back of the kitchen. It was late at night, and she had already put Andrea to bed, after a lot of convincing of course. She chuckled. That girl was so hyper... She smiled warmly at the thought of the young blonde maid.

As she picked up a basket of different vegetables and brought it to place it on a shelf to her right, she stopped. She thought she heard something... The girl listened for more sounds, and heard none. She brushed it off, thinking that maybe she was just imagining things, and went back to work. The Italian girl placed the basket of apples on the shelf, and sighed, very exhausted, but happy that she was almost done with her work. Julius had told her that she could stop and continue working in the morning, but she insisted on helping Chef Alessandro organize the pantry so it would be easier for him to prepare meals for the meeting between the Kings and Queens of the six Kingdoms in a few days.

She heard a loud thump, and again stopped. She was sure it wasn't a part of her imagination this time, and she felt her stomach churn in slight fear. It might be the princess, awake to ask for some tomatoes before going to sleep, but...

The girl crept towards the corner of the room, and picked up the broom that had been leaning on the wall. Slowly, she walked out of the pantry and into the dark kitchen, only lit slightly by the rays of moonlight coming in from the windows. She heard another sound, the sound of a pot falling onto the floor, and jumped, startled. It sounded like it was really close to where she was, and she gulped nervously. There had barely been any intruders into the castle... Usually the guards took care of them, but there were a few... incidents. You see, Italian guards weren't the best guards out there...

Suddenly, she felt an arm wrap around her waist. The girl opened her mouth and screamed, but the sound was cut short by the intruder's hand covering her mouth. She kicked and struggled, but the person seemed to have an iron grip on her.

_'No, no, no... Why is this happening!? Somebody please help!'_

"Calm down, _querida_. I won't hurt you, not if you tell me what I need to know." It sounded like a male.

She kept on kicking and struggling. His voice was soothing and eerily soft, but she had a bad feeling about this man. She yelped when he pulled her hair roughly, and looked at him, vision hazy with tears. As the moon shone brighter, she looked into his eyes.

Brown.

"Look, _querida_, just relax and stop struggling, y _todo estara bien..._" She didn't know what he was saying, but she guessed that he was speaking Spanish. She bit on his hand, and he let go with a loud groan, and she screamed again, hoping that somebody would hear and help her. The man put a kitchen cloth in her mouth to silence her, and then her eyes widened as she felt cold metal on her throat. She gulped dryly, hoping that it was not what she thought it was. "Listen to me, _querida_, okay? All I want you to do is answer a question, and I'll let you go. Now, tell me, _querida_, when are Captain Antonio and his crew leaving? Tell me, and I will let you go. But if you don't..." He ran the blade across her throat softly, and she yelped as she felt the light touch on her fair skin. "I won't hesitate to kill you. Maybe cut you up a little and have a little fun beforehand..." She shuddered at the emphasis he put on the word 'fun'. "Maybe I'll just pay a little visit to that little maid friend of yours, the little one, with the blonde hair..."

No.

_'No! Not Andrea, anything but that!'_

She nodded, and he took the cloth out of her mouth, and she sighed shakily before she spoke; "No . . . please don't hurt her. D-Don't-"

"Then tell me what I need to know. Now." He ran the blade across her skin, drawing a small amount of blood, and she hissed at the pain.

"T-The ship is to depart in a day... M-Most likely tomorrow n-noon..." She whispered.

"And what exactly are they looking for, _linda_?" She stayed quiet, eyes glowing with a shred of defiance. "Answer me." He dug the blade in deeper, and tears started to cascade down her cheeks.

"The amulet! T-The Amulet o-of Truth!"

"Hm, _excelente_. See, _querida_? That wasn't so hard now was it?" The man let go of her, and the girl fell to her knees and put her hand on her neck, feeling the crimson liquid run through her fingers as it dripped onto the floor and gleamed under the moonlight. "Tell no one of this. Or I will make sure to kill that little friend of yours, and make you watch." He growled, and with a satisfied smirk, he left the kitchen, leaving the bleeding girl on the floor as she began to sob.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Antonio watched as his crew loaded crates of supplies onto the ship. There was a light breeze in the air, and the sun's rays were not strong, but gentle, and as he inhaled deeply, the smell of the salty sea he had grown to love so much invaded his nostrils, and he sighed contentedly. It was a good day, a perfect one for departure. His brown and and white cat, España, (named after the Kingdom) sat on the wooden rail that the pirate was leaning on, and Antonio stroked the top of his head absentmindedly as the cat purred happily. The silver cross on the feline's neck, much like his own, glinted brightly in the sun.

"Hey, _irmão_!"

The Captain's jade eyes scanned the large deck for the source of that voice, and saw João waving at him, grinning. Antonio rolled his eyes before smiling and waving back lazily.

"Antonio!"

The pirate turned to see his friend, Gilbert run up to him, arrogant grin in place. The albino stood next to him, that peculiar yellow bird he always had with him chirping and flying around his head, Antonio stared at the bird flying around and around in circles... Until he noticed Gilbert trying to ask him something.

"Helloooo? Earth to Toni?"

"What?" He glared at him half-heartedly. "And I thought I told you to call me Captain."

"Aw, come on, Toni. Don't be like that with your best buddy!" Gilbert punched his arm playfully, and Antonio smiled. The two stayed silent for a few moments, observing the crew work, and Antonio petting his cat. Then, Gilbert spoke, "So... did you speak to Ludwig, my _bruder_?" Gilbert asked, and the Captain sighed. He knew that his friend would ask him about his younger brother sooner or later.

"He looked alright when I saw him," Antonio responded, eyes meeting his friend's intense crimson gaze. "He actually had a private conversation with Elizaveta, so I don't really know much. You should go ask her, _amigo_." Gilbert nodded, and thanked his friend, before heading to Elizaveta, who looked surprised when he approached her. He watched as Gilbert offered to help her with the crate of food she had in her hands, and being the stubborn woman she was, she refused, a light blush dusting her cheeks. Gilbert said something else, and her eyes widened before she nodded, and the two walked off together, most likely to find somewhere else on the ship to have a private conversation. He chuckled in amusement. Those two really just needed to get together already.

"_Capitán_!" He heard an eager and cheerful voice to his left, and he did not turn around, already knowing who it was.

"_Si_, José?"

"We have already loaded most of the supplies on the ship, and we should be ready to depart in a few hours, _capitán_!" He said, amber eyes shining brightly. "We are unpacking and storing the food and supplies now!"

"Thank you for the report. Carry on." José nodded, and went back to work, and Antonio watched him, before glancing at Italia's large castle. His mind drifted back to the conversation he and Julius had in the library. His cat nudged him, and Antonio went back to petting the feline.

_"...There is a dark crisis to come. Not only for Italia, but for all other Kingdoms as well. Adriana said it had to do something with the amulet itself..."_

The pirate frowned. Perhaps... He did feel a bit guilty...

Antonio sighed.

He had to do this.

He had to do what his father couldn't, and become the most powerful pirate that sailed the seven seas.

No matter what the cost.

Besides, with the amulet in his possession, no such thing as what Julius described in his nightmare would happen. He would become powerful, but he wouldn't kill an innocent life. Nothing as dark as what Julius had told him would occur.

Because he wasn't like his father.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She turned at the sound of curtains being opened, and hissed as rays of sunlight lit up the room. Lovina opened her eyes, before immediately shielding them from the sun's rays. Catherine smiled apologetically at the princess as she tidied up the various trinkets on the vintage dresser. The Italian princess just closed her eyes, trying to go back to sleep, but found that she could not. She sighed and sat up, keeping the white silk sheets close to her. She stared at Catherine as she cleaned (Lovina wasn't the most organized person around), and the maid smiled at her again.

"S-Sorry for disturbing you, princess... I was just c-cleaning up here..." Catherine said, voice wavering slightly, and Lovina's eyes immediately narrowed. "I'm just about done, you may go back to sleep if you wish, o... or I can bring you your breakfast and-"

"Catherine," Lovina interrupted. "Is something wrong?"

"N-No! Of course not! Why would you...?"

"Well, I can't help but wonder when my friend is acting like she's seen a ghost," The maid looked down at the floor in embarrassment, biting her lip. Lovina took the sheets off of herself, and walked over to the maid barefoot, wincing at how cold the floor was. She put one arm around her friend's shoulder, and shivered a bit at how cold the room was. She was only wearing a nightgown after all... "Tell me what's wrong."

"It's... It's..."

"And what's with the gauze on your neck? Did you get hurt?"

The maid wondered if she should tell her. If she did, then perhaps something would be done about it . . . but . . . she did not want Andrea to be in danger.

_'I have already lost someone dear to me... I do not want that to happen again...'_

"It's nothing... Just a bit tired, is all. I was cleaning up in the pantry all night, and I took a nasty fall and bruised my neck. That's all..." She made herself yawn, just to try and convince the princess. Catherine hoped the princess would not ask anymore questions; she hated lying.

_'Yeah, like I believe that.' _Lovina thought. She knew Catherine long enough to know that she was lying. The maid had never been good at it (and neither had she). But, knowing how stubborn Catherine could be sometimes, she decided to question her about it later.

"We will talk about this later... I don't like seeing my friends hurt or stressed, and you and Andrea the only friends I have made in this stupid castle," She growled, and Catherine's amber eyes were glinting with confusion.

"But, what about the other maids?"

"Tch, they're fucking annoying. Always giggling or gossiping or complaining," She scoffed. "I can't stand them!" Catherine laughed softly, and Lovina chuckled. "But, if you're really tired, then you can have the day off and relax."

Amber eyes widened in surprise. "Are you sure, princess? It really is alright-"

"Yes, I can take care of myself for one day," She rolled her hazel-green orbs. "And, dammit, how many time have I told you, don't-"

"_Si, si_, to call you Lovina," Catherine smiled. "Well, alright... _Grazie_, princess." She curtsied politely. "I'll just go check on Andrea and Marcello right now, and _si_, I'll tell you how your brother is doing." Lovina nodded. "...Let me just-"

"No, no! I can manage," Lovina glared at her half heartedly. She picked up some coins that were on the dresser and gave them to the maid. "You take this, go into town and have fun, okay? Just relax, I'm sure _nonno_ won't say anything. Now go or I'll push you out of this room myself."

"Okay, okay..." Catherine laughed as she walked out of the room. She looked back at Lovina, eyes shining with kindness. "Thank you, Lovina." The princess blushed, and averted her eyes, scowling.

"Yeah, yeah. I-It's just that, you won't be able to do a good job if y-you're stressed out, so..."

"Alright. I will see you later!" She waved as she exited the room and Lovina huffed. She turned to the large canopy bed and sighed. Well, she couldn't go back to sleep now...

"Hi, 'Vina~!" Little Andrea came in the room, and she grinned, green eyes shining with happiness, as always. "Cathy sent me to prepare your bath! I can also stay with you for the day, if you wish."

"No, it's okay. And what happened to your braid?"

The young maid pouted. "But I at least have to thank you somehow for helping me sneak that candy that Cathy hid from me! And Cathy said she couldn't braid my hair today, so I tried to do it myself... Is it bad?"

Lovina sighed and smiled. "Fine. You can prepare the bath, and then you can go back to my brother." The princess smiled in amusement as the maid's cheeks, which were dotted with tiny brown freckles turned a light pink. "Your braid is just a tiny bit messy, but you did good. Come here, let me fix it for you." Andrea walked toward Lovina as she gestured to the seat in front of the vanity mirror, and the little maid sat down. Lovina started to undo the messy braid and brush her hair.

"I can't go back to him, 'Vina."

"Hm, _perche_?"

"'Cause whenever I'm around him, I feel... weird. Ow!" She squeaked as Lovina accidentally pulled on a strand of blonde hair.

"Sorry. What do you mean?"

"W-well," Lovina watched as her blush intensified. "My tummy starts to hurt a bit, and my face starts to feel really hot. Cathy said it's nothing, but I think I'm getting sick, and I'm scared!" She wrinkled her small, freckled nose. "Maybe I'm allergic to Marcello... But that wouldn't be good! 'Cuz then I wouldn't get to play with him and stuff!" She frowned, and the Italian princess rolled her eyes. Andrea was just as oblivious as her sister, if not more. "Though Marcello keeps turning red too..."

"That's because he really likes you," Lovina said, undoing a braid she messed up before braiding it again. "A lot."

"...But I've always liked him a lot! Why would I start to turn red now?" The princess' eyes widened. Could this be? Did Andrea finally get it? "We're good friends!" No, looks like she still doesn't.

"I know, but by like I mean like, like. There, you're done."

"Like... like...? Oh, grazie, 'Vina!" The maid gave her a tight, affectionate hug, and Lovina stumbled back a bit due to the unexpected force.

"_Si,_ more than friends," The princess laughed as she was hugged by the young girl. Andrea looked up at her and smiled, green eyes bright.

"You mean like... super, duper, best, good friends?" Lovina fought the urge to facepalm. She was definitely way more oblivious than her sister.

"No, more than that."

"I don't get it..." Andrea frowned.

"It's okay, forget it."

"Okay, 'Vina! I'll go prepare your bath now!" She beamed at Lovina, before skipping into the bathroom, closing the doors behind her. Lovina shook her head as she chuckled under her breath.

"That girl is way too hyper... Maybe I shouldn't have given her that candy..." She moved towards the window, and sighed as she stared at the vast sea, the sound of the waves crashing on the shore soothing her. "I wish I could just leave this stupid castle, and freaking go somewhere..." She gazed longingly at the ship near the docks, assuming it was that Spanish pirate's ship. It was certainly a sight, with it's large sails, and the weathered mermaid statue at the front only added to its majesty. Yes, _'El Corazón Salvaje'_ was as grand as the rumors said.

_'Even if it is that pirate bastards ship,'_ She thought.

"Miss 'Vina, your bath is ready~!" Andrea opened the door to the bathroom, and gestured for the princess to go in. "It's warm and lavender scented, just the way you like it!" She chirped.

"Alright, I'm coming," Lovina glanced at the ocean one last time before walking to the bathroom. "_Grazie_, Andrea."

"_Prego_, Miss 'Vina! Ring the bell if you need anything else!" The princess heard the door close, and entered the stripped, and once she was fully unclothed, Lovina went in the filled porcelain bathtub, sighing contentedly as she felt the warm water on her skin. A gentle scent of lavender invaded her nostrils, soothing her immediately. She let herself relax, and couldn't help but think about what had happened in the library yesterday night.

_"...There is a dark crisis to come. Not only for Italia, but for all other Kingdoms as well. Adriana said it had to do something with the amulet itself..."_

What exactly was this 'amulet'? She remembered hearing something about an amulet during her history lessons when she was younger, and could barely remember what the hell her teacher had taught her (mostly because she didn't really listen to him)...

But did her grandfather really have to hire a filthy _pirate_ of all things!? Yes, he did say that it was a very dangerous adventure)... But why him? Why did he choose one of the most well known pirates out there?

She closed her eyes, already feeling most of her stress wash away slowly. But still... there was this bad feeling in her gut that she wouldn't go away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Andrea walked down the hallway after having left Lovina's room. She put a small hand on her stomach, and frowned.

_'I really, really hope I'm not allergic to Marcello. If I am, then... I don't care, I'll still play with him!' _Happy with her resolve, she smiled and opened the door to Marcello's room, and her green gaze immediately went to the young boy laying on the large canopy bed. She waved at him, and he smiled at her and waved back, getting into a sitting position. Andrea sat on the wooden chair near the bed, and put a small hand on his.

"_Ciao, bella. _How did it go?"

"It went well! Miss 'Vina is really nice! I asked her why you keep turning red..." Marcello blushed, running a hand through his light brown hair. He knew why exactly he was acting this way around her, and the fact that she didn't know that she was the cause of it only made him more flustered. "Oh! And I told Feli that you wanted one of her paintings to look at."

"That's good. It's been a long time since _sorella_ has been happy enough to paint."

"She said sorry that it's not her best, but I think it's pretty," Andrea went over to one of the wooden cabinets and opened a drawer, pulling out a small canvas. "I wanted to show you yesterday, but you were sleeping, and I didn't want to bother you." The maid sat down again, and handed him the painting. Marcello gasped once he saw it.

"Wow..." He murmured.

The sky was painted many different hues of purples, yellows, reds and oranges. Dark silhouettes of birds were far away in the horizon, and white waves crashed against the sea shore. But what caught his attention the most, was the majestic and grand ship that was sailing on the glimmering ocean water. Huge white sails that were tied to a tall mast were tinted yellow and orange in the sunlight. And right there, on the corner, was in beautiful handwriting, it said;

_'I hope you get better, fratellino. Ti amo. With lots and lots of love, Felicia'. _

"I remember when I was little, King Julius used to tell me stories of when he was a pirate to cheer me up whenever I thought about my parents," Andrea said. "He used to tell me all about the adventures he had... It'd be so cool to go an an adventure like that, huh?" She giggled, giddy at the thought.

"I hope we can go on an adventure one day, Andrea. Together," The boy said, flashing her a smile.

"Me too! I hope we get to see lots!"

"_Si_! When I get better, the first thing I'll do is go on an adventure with you, _bella_," He let go on the painting and placed his hand on the bed, and Andrea once again placed her hand on his.

"I'd love to go on an adventure with you, Marcello," She smiled, and intertwined her fingers with his. The boy felt his cheeks heat up, and Andrea's green eyes grew worried. "Oh, did I do something wrong? You're all red again!"

"No!" He blurted out, and her eyes widened at the sudden outburst. "Uh, no, it's just... nothing."

The two remained there for a quiet moment, just holding hands. Then, Andrea spoke.

"So... do you know what tomorrow is?"

Marcello grinned. He knew what tomorrow was indeed. "Oh, I don't know. . . What's happening tomorrow, _bella?_"

"You... forgot?" The girl frowned.

"No, Andrea, I know what tomorrow is. It's your birthday, right? You're turning eleven."

"_Si_! I can't wait!" She chirped.

"...Andrea, if you and I could go on an adventure right now, where would you want to go? What would you want to see?" Marcello asked, a thoughtful look in his light green seers. Andrea smiled and pointed to the painting on the bed, the painting of the ship. Marcello stared at the painting, and grinned at her, and there was a twinkle in his eyes, something she couldn't identify. "I would want to see that too," He murmured.

"Yeah..." Andrea turned to glance out the large windows of the boy's bedroom, looking out into the vast blue ocean, desperately wishing that Marcello would one day get better.

* * *

**Portuguese (Second language of España. Just sayin'~):**

_**irmão **_**(brother)**

**Spanish:**

**_linda _(pretty. The equivalent to the Italian word bella. ****[term of endearment]**)

**_querida._ (dear.)**

_**. . .todo estara bien . . . **_**(. . . everything will be alright . . .)**

**_excelente._ (Excellent.)**

**Italian:**

**_bella _(pretty [term of endearment])**

**_. . . perche?_ (. . . why?)**

_**I'm so happy with this chapterrrrr! I like the pace that this story has, but please tell me if you would like the pace to go faster! :D Just so you guys know;**_

_**Andrea, José, Catherine and our mystery person are the only important OCs for now, sí? :)**_

_**R&R!**_


	6. Cinco

_**There's gonna be a lot going on in the next few chapters, readers! A LOT. **_

_**Thanks again to Vocabelle8Aph for helping out! :D**_

_**WARNING: Soooo much cheesy romance. And a little something else. :D Mwahahahaaa...**_

_**Disclaimer: ******____**I do not own Hetalia. Himaruya does. I only own the plot of this story and... yeah.**_

* * *

**_.Cσrαzón Sαlvαjє._**

_.Cinco._

"'Vina! Miss 'Vina!"

Lovina's eyes immediately opened, and she hissed, ready to snap at whoever had woken her. She relaxed slightly once she saw it was just little Andrea, who was looking at her with a bright grin. Catherine shook her head at the girl's actions, although she chuckled at the furious look that had been on the princess' face.

"Ah, Andrea... What is it?" Lovina asked, getting into a sitting position and putting her hands on her lap.

"It's my birthday, Miss 'Vina. Don't tell me you've forgotten!"

"Of course I haven't forgotten, Andrea. I have even gotten you a gift," Lovina laughed as the girl's eyes twinkled with clear excitement and she smiled happily.

"Really!? What is it?" She asked, jumping up and down. Catherine chuckled once again before putting a dainty hand on the little maid's shoulder.

"Andrea, be patient. Lovina just woke up," The older maid chided gently. Andrea nodded as Catherine fixed the girl's hair tie, which had loosened a bit when she had been jumping.

"No, it's alright. I'll go get it now." The princess started to get up, and braced herself for the cold floor, but her eyes widened in surprise when she felt soft slippers under her feet. She looked at Andrea, who gave her a bright grin. Smiling, Lovina walked to the large vintage cabinet in her room, and opened the last drawer, taking out a large gift box. Andrea gaped as the princess gave her the box, and gestured for her to open it. The little girl opened it, and gasped.

Inside, was a beautiful handmade doll. Andrea softly stroked the soft braided brown yarn that was the doll's hair. The doll wore a light blue sundress, and had a little matching bow in its brown hair. It smiled back at her, as the yellow buttons that were its eyes gleamed under the sunlight coming in from the windows. She picked it up carefully, and examined the very meticulous stitches on the soft cotton fabric. Lovina smiled sheepishly.

"Er, sorry it's not perfect. I haven't sewed in a long time, and I'm a bit out of practice... I'm just glad that those stupid sewing lessons finally paid off," The princess smiled at Catherine. "Catherine was a big help too."

Andrea didn't respond, and stared at the doll, eyes wide. Catherine grew worried, and called her name. She still didn't answer, and Lovina panicked when she saw tears in the girl's eyes.

"Did I do something wrong...?"

Then, suddenly, Andrea ran forward, and gave Lovina a hug. Like yesterday, the princess stumbled back a bit, as the girl gave her a tearful smile.

"What's wrong?" Lovina asked, voice low.

"I... I never had a doll when I was little," Andrea murmured. "I always wanted one, but mommy and daddy always said they couldn't afford one for me..."

"Oh..." Lovina sent Catherine a glance, and the maid nodded, looking at Andrea sadly.

"Thank you so much, 'Vina and Cathy." Andrea let go of Lovina and hugged the doll tightly. "I love it... I really love it. It kinda looks like Cathy!"

"It does, doesn't it?" Lovina smiled. "She told me your favorite color was blue, and that's why the dress is blue."

"Yeah! My favorite color is blue because of the sea!" Andrea chirped, still hugging the doll. "I hate red though."

"Why?"

"...Because that was the only color I could see when I last saw my parents..." The girl whispered, twirling one of the pieces of brown yarn of the doll. "It was all red."

"Um, w-why don't we all go downstairs and get some breakfast?" Catherine asked quickly, trying to change the subject. Lovina nodded and smiled at the little girl, who smiled back, oblivious at the slight tension in the room. "Come Andrea, we must allow Lovina to get ready now."

"Okay... _Grazie di nuovo,_ Miss 'Vina!"

"_Prego_, Andrea. And your Italian is getting better!" Lovina smiled at the girls warmly as they left the room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Catherine handed Andrea another dish as soon as she was done washing it. The little maid dried it with a small rag, before carefully putting it back into the cabinets. They were almost finished, and all the cooks in the kitchen were busy making breakfast for the royal family, and preparing for the arrival of Prince Ludwig and his father. So far, Catherine had made sure that King Julius and Princess Felicia had gotten their breakfast... She had sent someone up to bring it to Lovina... Ah! She had almost forgotten about Marcello.

"Andrea!"

"Yes, Cathy?"

Catherine walked over to Chef Alessandro and asked him for Marcello's tray. He nodded, handed her the tray, and Catherine murmured a hurried 'grazie' before heading back to where Andrea was.

"Can you please take this to Marcello? He has not had his breakfast yet."

"Sure Cathy!"

Catherine ruffled the girl's hair affectionately. "Say hi to him for me, okay?"

"Okay!" She chirped, and she left the kitchen, tray in her hands. Catherine watched her leave, smiling, and then she walked back to Chef Alessandro. He flashed her a smile as he skillfully chopped vegetables at a pace she could never hope to achieve.

"_Signorina Caterina_! _Come stai_?" He greeted. She had forgotten how loud his voice was.

"_Sto bene, grazie_," She curtsied politely, looking at the chef with a kind smile."Do you need anything, Alessandro? Anything at all? I just finished washing the dishes with Andrea..."

"Ah... Actually..." He stopped chopping and glanced around the large kitchen, before his eyes shone in realization. "Yes, I do! I believe I'm in need of some potatoes... We haven't had some here in quite a long time! Of course, you know how Princess Lovina gets when she sees them..." He chuckled before continuing, "Would you mind going to town and getting some? I need them for when the prince and his father arrive."

"_Certamente_, Alessandro," The chef handed her a few gold coins. "I will go right now. Bye, Alessandro. I will be back soon with those potatoes!"

"_Grazie_, _Signorina Caterina_! Be careful!" He called out to her as she left.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Andrea knocked on the door of Marcello's room, carefully balancing the silver tray in one hand.

"Come in."

She opened the door, her mouth immediately forming into a warm grin.

"Hi, 'Cello."

"Hm? Where did you get that nickname from?" He asked, sitting up.

"I don't know. I thought it was cute," She did not noticed the blush that graced his features, and sat on the wooden chair that was always next to his bed. "I brought you your breakfast!"

"Ah, _grazie_, _bella_."

"Hey! 'Cello, you're not as pale as you were before..."

"Mmhm. I've been feeling a lot better too," She placed the tray on his lap. "_Grazie_. _Buon Compleano_, by the way."

"...What does that mean again...?"

He chuckled. "Someone needs to start studying Italian again! It means Happy Birthday."

"Oh be quiet." She laughed, and gave him a playful pat on the shoulder. "And here I was beginning to think you forgot!"

"I would never forget your birthday, _bella_," He frowned. "I've never been able to get you something though..."

"But it's not your fault. You've been sick..."

"I know, but still..."

She giggled, eyes shining happily. "It's really, really okay! Having you in my life is gift enough, 'Cello!" She put her hand on his and held it tightly, looking out of the windows and into the vast sea. "Besides, you and I are going on an adventure one day, and that makes me really happy."

"Yeah..." He murmured, looking out as well. "Me too."

They both stayed like that, enjoying the beautiful view in comfortable silence, admiring the blue of the sky and sea, and how the sun shone as it cast its iridescent light on the water. Both children closed their eyes, wanting this moment to last forever...

Then, a deep rumbling sound was heard.

Andrea blushed in embarrassment at Marcello's bewildered look, which then turned to one of amusement as he laughed.

"Hungry?"

"A l-little bit..."

"Here," He said, as he handed her two of the cookies on the plate. "You can have this."

"Oh..." She took the food hesitantly. "Thank you, 'Cello." She mumbled softly, taking a small bite out if the delicious pastry.

"Anything for you."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As he walked along the streets of Italia, he remained in the shadows, not wanting anyone to see him. He walked along as fast as he could, but did not run. He had to get to his ship and prepare, before _El Corazón Salvaje_ departed.

He frowned as he remembered what he had done the night before. He hadn't meant to hurt the girl... But it was the only way he would get the information he needed for his plan. If he had tried to negotiate with her, the girl would most likely just have shouted for the guards, and he would have been caught...

_'It was the only way.'_

He had got what he needed, and that was all that mattered.

He tried to ignore the pang of guilt he felt, and continued to walk along the cobblestone road.

Suddenly, he heard someone shouting at him, and the sound of something hitting against the cobblestone road repeatedly. He turned, and saw a carriage moving towards him rapidly, the horses galloping frighteningly fast. The coachman was yelling at him to get off the road...

He stayed were he was, frozen with shock, as the carriage abruptly turned left. He could see it already teetering dangerously sideways, and already people tried to rush to the scene as the coachman tried to regain control of his two horses. and all he saw was a young girl, amber eyes gleaming with shock and fear, and her mouth open to scream, but she was crushed by the carriage before a sound could escape her lips.

Many people immediately rushed to the girl's aid, working together to try to lift the heavy object off of her.

He remained still, trying to register what had just occurred. It had all happened so quickly... Even if he had tried to save her, he would not have gotten to her in time.

_'Why am I getting so worked up about all of this? That girl meant _nothing_ to me. Nothing.'_

_He glanced at the scene once more._

_'I shouldn't care about what happens to some girl.' _

His face hardened, and after slight hesitation, he turned from the scene, and continued to walk towards the docks. He had to keep going...

_'Emotion is weakness, after all.'_

And yet, he could not help but wonder why those amber eyes looked so familiar.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Andrea entered the room, having just come back from bringing Marcello's breakfast tray to the kitchen. She closed the door, and turned around, ready to greet the boy, but she froze, and her eyes widened comically.

"M-Marcello...? Why are you out of bed...!?"

"Hm?" The boy turned to look at her, from where he was standing next to the window. "Oh, hi, Andrea."

"You should get back to bed before-"

"It's okay, Andrea. I'm fine."

"B-But Marcello, you're-"

"It's okay! Like I said, I've been feeling a lot better now," He said, green eyes warm. "Besides, I still haven't given you your birthday present."

Andrea's eyes widened in surprise and she blushed. "Y-You didn't have to..."

"I want to. Now follow me, _bella_. I want to show you something." He offered his hand to her, and she took it, still a bit shocked.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"_Si_, I'm fine, Andrea. Don't worry about me."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Marcello finally uncovered Andrea's eyes, and immediately, her expression of excitement became one of awe as she stared at the wonderful sight in front of her.

It was a magnificent view of the town, houses and vegetation dotting the landscape. The docks were also visible, and right there, floating on the deep blue water, was a grand ship, with tall white masts, its sails tinted orange from the sunset in the far horizon. Many seagulls dotted the colorful sky, and Andrea stared at it all in amazement.

_'Why would he take me here though...?'_

Marcello saw Andrea's confused expression and he smiled, looking out at the view as well.

"I bet you're wondering why I brought you here, right?"

"Yeah..."

He sat down on the cool grass and patted the spot next to him. She sat down as well, and "You said you wanted to see something like this, remember?" She looked at him, still confused, until she realized...

"The painting..."

"Yup."

"You... Did this... Just for _me_?"

"Just for you."

"..."

"Like it?"

"_Like_ it? I love it..." She scooted closer to him. "It's really pretty..."

"Yeah..." He murmured. Marcello felt something brush his hand, and he looked to see Andrea's hand right on top of his. He felt his face start getting hot, and he looked at her, only to see that she was smiling. He grinned and held her hand, and his grin got wider when she put her head on his shoulder.

_'I wish it could always be like this...' _He thought.

"_Grazie_, 'Cello."

"...Anything for you, _bella_." He smiled, and when she was distracted, he tried to cough as quietly as he could. Marcello looked at Andrea to see if she had heard, and was relieved she hadn't. He frowned.

_'I might be feeling better now... But what if it comes back again? Like... last time...?'_

* * *

**Italian: **

_****__Grazie di nuovo... (Thanks/Thank you again...)_

_****____Signorina Caterina_! _Come stai_? (Miss Catherine! How are you?)

_****____Sto bene, grazie. (I'm good, thank you.)_

_****______Certamente... (Certainly...)_

_****________Grazie_, _Signorina Caterina _(Thank you, Miss Catherine)

_****__________Grazie_. _Buon Compleano_ **_(Thank you. Happy Birthday)_**

_**I done good, huh?**_

_**I done good. ^^**_

_**Well then, Romance isn't really my strongest point, so I hope I did okay with all the fluffiness and crap.**_

_**But let me tell you guys something... (Just for the sake of getting y'all excited. XD)**_

_**CRAP IS GOING TO GO DOOWWNNN.**_

_**Oh, and I bet you guys are wondering when the hell the SpainxFem!Romano is gonna officially start... It's gonna start soon, I PROMISE! Just bear with me... ? *puppy face* ;3;**_

_*****Stardust98*****_


	7. Chapter 7: Sei

_**...*hides* I'm unsure of how this chapter turned out...**_

_**Apologies for the delay! You have no idea how ridiculously busy I am this summer! And I had lots of writer's block for a lot of the chapter... ****^^;**_

_**I'm glad y'all found the MarcelloxAndrea cute. ;)**_

***NOTE: **

**Legolas (Ludwig's Father/OC)**

**Alaric (Ludwig's Grandfather/Germania)**

_**Um... Get ready for some sad shit. Yeah. (And why do I suck at drama? Dang nabbit.) **__**Once again, thank you to Vocabelle8Aph for helping me! :3**_

**_****AS YOU ARE READING THIS CHAPTER: Keep in mind that it is still Andrea's birthday, okay? Okay._**

**_Disclaimer: _**_**I do not own Hetalia. Himaruya does. I only own the plot of this story and... yeah.**_

* * *

_**.Corazón Salvaje.**_

_.Sei._

Felicia sighed in frustration as she began to paint for the umpteenth time, placing the brush on the white canvas. She looked about the room, frowning at the amount of canvases on the floor. She hadn't liked how the paintings were turning out... Turning back to the canvas, a scowl graced her pretty features. She grabbed the canvas and tossed it along with all the others.

_'What...what is wrong with me...!? This... this hasn't happened before!'_

She set the brush and paint aside and sighed softly. She knew the reason why she had not been able to paint recently... Felicia grabbed another canvas, and set it on the easel, starting over.

_'Ludwig...'_

Her grip on the paintbrush tightened, and she could feel her heart become heavy again. She began to paint once again, aware that her vision was starting to become slightly hazy.

Ludwig Beilschmidt. Prince of the Kingdom of Germania.

_"...he is to be wed to my eldest granddaughter, Lovina, to unify our Kingdoms...", _she remembered her grandfather saying, and the Italian woman bit her lip.

She was always thinking about him.

_'Those blue eyes...'_ The princess thought, as she picked up paint as blue as the skies. _'I could get lost in them forever. Hair as gold as the sun,' _She dipped the brush in some water, and then into the yellow paint, as she bit her lip harder, barely registering the metallic taste of blood. She painted and painted, until the sun set, and even though she was absolutely exhausted, she continued.

_"... heard from one of the maids that Ludwig is completely smitten with one of your daughters," Legolas, Ludwig's father said, while Alaric, his grandfather, nodded in agreement to what Julius had said._

_'I know Lovina doesn't love him... But what if he loves _her_? I don't know if I will be able to bear it.'_

Felicia smiled tearfully at her work.

_'I... I have to be happy for him, at least...'_

Hair as gold as the sun...

Eyes as blue as the skies...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Ah, _ciao principessa_ Lovina!" Alessandro greeted cheerfully. "Do you need something, Your Highness?"

"_Grazie_, Alessandro, but no," She crossed her arms over her chest and yawned, having just woken up from a nap. She was still tired, for she had been woken by a certain little blonde maid, asking where Catherine was. "I was just wondering... Have you seen Catherine? Andrea has been asking for her."

"Oh, _signorina Caterina_ went into town to buy some... groceries for me," He said, knowing how the princess would react if she knew what exactly Catherine had gone out to buy.

"I see. What about Felicia? Is she..." She trailed off, and sighed before starting again. "Is she doing alright?"

"Well, one of the maids had told me that she saw Felicia painting in one of the rooms," He replied. Lovina nodded, and could not help but relax a little bit, happy at that.. "I do not see _principessa_ Felicia around here as much I used to... I remember how she used to love watching me cook when she was younger." He smiled warmly as he recalled how the girl would stand next to him, smiling gleefully as he worked. "She used to get so excited when I let her help me."

"Yes," The princess murmured. "I remember too..." _'I'm glad she's at least painting again... It's been a long time since ' _She frowned._ 'This is hurting her so much... Feli, I swear if I could do _anything_ about this, I would. The last thing I would want to do is hurt you...'_

Alessandro had gone back to organizing the pots and pans in the kitchen, as he had been doing before. Even though the maids had told him that they could do it, he insisted on doing it himself. He was sure that if the maids cleaned up the kitchen, he wouldn't know where everything was! Besides... He patted his chubby stomach. Walking back and forth in the kitchen putting heavy pots away was a great way to shed off some pounds, right? After a few moments of comfortable silence, the princess spoke, yawning again.

"When did you ask her?" The Italian woman glanced at the tall kitchen windows, watching the sun rapidly set. "It's getting very late..."

"I asked her this... morning..." He trailed off, realizing just how many hours the maid had been gone.

"And she still hasn't come back yet...!?" Lovina's eyes widened, and she immediately became worried about her friend. Catherine had never come late from an errand. She usually got whatever had to get done fairly quickly, and came straight back to the castle... But now... Lovina frowned. She felt her stomach churn.

Something was very wrong.

She could feel it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Antonio grit his teeth.

He was angry.

Very angry.

Actually, to say that he was angry was quite an understatement...

He was utterly _livid_.

He glared at his friends, Gilbert and Francis, who both grinned back sheepishly. The pirate Captain leaned on the wooden rail, his cat on his shoulder.

"So, _queridos amigos_..." Antonio growled. "How exactly did this happen again?" Antonio had just come back from a night in town at the bar, and the first thing he saw when he had reached the docks, his blood boiled just thinking about it, was a hole on his ship. A rather large hole on the wall of the Captain's quarters.

"Er, look, Toni... Before you get mad-"

"I am afraid it is a bit too late for that."

"W-We didn't mean to! It was a little accident..."

"Little!?" He shouted, startling both of his crew members. "Little!? This is not a 'little accident'! _¡Malditos idiotas!_ There is an enormous hole on my bedroom wall! And you dare stand there and call this a 'little accident'?" España meowed at the sight of his owner blowing a fuse, brown and white tail swishing back and forth. He hopped off the pirate's shoulder, and scurried off. Gilbert and Francis watched the feline take his leave, and they wished they could do the same right now. They cursed as the cat glanced at them once more, his eyes gleaming with faint amusement. "We were supposed to depart today! Do you know how much repairs would cost!? We have already spent enough on supplies!"

"_Oui_, we know _Antoine_-"

"Well, it looks like you _didn't_ know when you blew a hole on my ship."

"...and we're sorry." The Spanish man didn't budge, still glaring at them venomously. "Aw, come on... _El Corazón Salvaje_ is still looking very beautiful and majestic, _mon ami_. As she always is!"

"_Ja_!" Gilbert grinned at the Spaniard, who was starting to calm down. "...Except now there's a big hole on the side!" ...and then Antonio's eyes hardened again, shining with renewed anger and fury. Francis sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, while the albino man wondered what he had done wrong.

"_Mon Dieu_!" Francis muttered at his friend's idiocy, before chuckling nervously at Antonio. "Look, _Antoine_, me and Gilbert promise to be in charge of the ship's repairs. They will get done by tomorrow afternoon."

"_Está bien_..." He sighed. "But where am I supposed to sleep tonight, then? I really do not fancy the idea of sleeping in a room that has a large _hole_ on the wall..."

"Gilbert can lend you his bed!" Francis suggested, smiling brightly. Gilbert looked at his friend in surprise, and then indignation.

"What? Why not your bed!? _You_ were the one that fired the damn canon!"

"But _you_ were the one that came up with the idea! Besides, I wasn't trying to fire it, I was trying to stop you!"

"Shut up, you're-"

"_¡Cállense los dos!_" Antonio shouted, massaging his temples as he felt a migraine on its way. "Look, one of you is going to have to give up your bed, so you either sleep together," The two looked at each other disdainfully, purposely taking one step away from the other, "...or one of you will have to sleep on the floor, okay? Now you will go discuss that among yourselves, but somewhere else, because I'm really trying to restrain myself from hurting you both." Both men nodded and hurried off, knowing that when their Captain was angry, he was unpredictable.

Antonio sighed. Maybe he was a little hard on his friends... He turned and leaned against the rail, crossing his arms over his chest.

_'But I need to get that treasure... Who knows if Kirkland has already found out about the amulet or not?' _He thought, gazing out into the vast sea.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"... I'm going out," Lovina said to Alessandro, putting on the dark cloak she had retrieved from her room. "I have to go find Catherine."

"Your Highness are you sure?" The Italian man looked at her worriedly. "It is getting quite late, and it is not safe for you to wander at this time..."

"I have to at least try to find her! I can't just relax without knowing if she's alright! Andrea is starting to get worried too..." Lovina pulled her dark hair back, and slipped the large hood on. "Besides... she's my friend." She mumbled the last part to herself.

"... Alright, _principessa_."

"If my _nonno_ asks, tell him I'm... sleeping, and that I would not like to be disturbed."

"_Si_, _signorina_. _Buona fortuna_, ah... and please... be careful," He winced as he remembered when he had said that to Catherine this morning. Lovina nodded to the chef and walked out of the kitchen, and into the hall.

_'Catherine... where the hell are you!?' _She thought, walking rapidly towards the large front castle doors._ 'Wherever you are... please be alright...'_

Opening the door, the princess' eyes widened when she saw a figure standing in front of the guards standing near the gate. She narrowed her eyes as she heard loud arguing. Lovina walked towards the two guards, and saw a small man, trying to get through.

"_Mi dispiace, signore._ _Ma non è possibile passare."_

"But I have an urgent message from the doctor!"

_"Signore-"_

_"Le guardie, gli permettono di passare." _She interrupted, walking towards them as she took off the hood of her cloak. The guards bowed their heads with respect, and after slight hesitation, let the messenger in. "_Buon giorno_. What do you seek here, _signore_?

"A-Ah, Your Highness!" The stranger bowed respectfully, seemingly flustered as he realized who she was. "I actually have an important message..."

"For whom?" She asked, eyes narrowed.

"For you," He said, and she lifted an eyebrow, a bit curious. She could see that the guards were still watching the stranger very carefully, so if he tried anything, they were ready to defend their princess at any cost. "It is very urgent, Your Highness. One of your maids have been injured... I know she is of the castle because she bought from my fruit stand quite often..."

"Who is it?" Lovina asked, and although she already had an idea of who it was, she still felt her heart sink when he replied.

"Catherine."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Ah,_ principessa_, greetings!" The doctor looked very surprised as she entered his house. "This visit is rather unexpected… What are you doing here? Is something wrong back at the castle? Is Marcello doing alright?"

"_Buon giorno, dottore_. Everything is alright at the castle," The princess grit her teeth, trying to be as polite as she could; she wanted to see Catherine, and was already starting to get very impatient. "... and Marcello is doing just fine. I actually came to see someone."

"Who would you like to see, princess? I only have one patient today… and it is just a young girl… Is it not her, is it?"

"_Si_, it is, she is one of the maids at the castle."

The doctor just sent her a puzzled look, as if he was still confused as to why she was here. Lovina sighed, knowing that usually, no one from the royal family would really care if any of their maids were merely injured. But this was Catherine… and she was not just a maid to her. She felt as if the girl was her sister.

"Is… Is she okay?" Lovina worked her teeth over her bottom lip as an uneasy feeling settled in her stomach.

"…She is… not doing very well, Your Highness," He sighed, adjusting his thin glasses. The princess urged him to go on, still biting her lip, and he continued; "She has many wounds, one of which has already gotten infected and is steadily growing worse. Many of her bones are severely broken, and… I am afraid that soon, one of the fragments might pierce her vital organs and cause internal bleeding… There is also a very nasty head injury, from which she lost a lot of blood..." Lovina was very quiet as he spoke, and she slowly registered everything he said. "I'm sorry, Your Highness, but… I don't think she will make it through the night."

After a few moments of silence, she had finally registered what he had just said, and she hands were at her sides, gripping the skirt of her dress tightly as she tried not to scream. _'What…?' _"Will… will it be painful?" She whispered. Catherine didn't deserve to die miserably. She was too much of a good person for that.

"Yes… I am afraid it might be…"

"O-Oh…" She stopped biting on her lip and frowned, eyes downcast. "Where is she…?" He walked over to a room at her right, and opened the door

"She is in here, in the medical room…"

She entered the room, avoiding his gaze. "_Grazie, dottore."_

"…Your Highness?"

"Yes?" She turned to him, and he winced at how dull her eyes looked. She really looked upset… _'__Now that is unusual… The eldest of the two princesses is quite known for her temper…' _He thought. '_She must have really cared a lot about this girl…' _He had always dreaded telling people when their loved ones were dying… especially if their death was painful. But... there _was_ one solution… a way for people to die peacefully, and quickly.

"I have these pills in my medicine cabinet… that I only reserve for my dying patients," He began, and saw how her eyes lit up with hope. "It is not a cure," The hope in her eyes faded. "But it does guarantee a quick, peaceful passing." Lovina only stared at him, quiet for a few heartbeats, until she sighed deeply, and responded with one, simple word.

"...Okay."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~xXx~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lovina closed the door behind her quietly, and inhaled deeply, closing her eyes. Opening them slowly, she glanced around the room, only lit by a single candle on a nearby table, and the moonlight coming in from the large, open windows. The walls were a simple, dull white, and on them, hung numerous wooden shelves stacked with many medicines of different types. There were various beds and drawers around the room, and a closet at the right side, in which there were many cleaning tools and appliances. She looked to her left, and her breath hitched as she saw Catherine laying on the bed farthest from the door, close to the window. Her eyes were closed, and the rest of her body was covered with a thin white sheet. Her brows were furrowed, and there was a small frown on her face. She looked miserable...

Lovina approached her slowly, careful not to make any noise as she walked across the wooden floor. Her flats still made a small tapping sound against the floor, but Catherine still did not wake. The closer she got to her friend, the stronger the ache in her throat. She was about two steps away from Catherine, when suddenly, her eyes fluttered open, and she directed her glance towards her. "Who's there?" She asked.

"Catherine... How are you feeling?"

"Lovina...?"

"...Yes."

The princess walked over to the girl, and sat in the chair next to her bed. "All I remember was doing some errand for Alessandro... and then feeling immense pain... then all I could see is darkness... for a while. Then, I opened my eyes and ended up here...

"Catherine... You're..."

"... I'm what?"

"You're..." Lovina sighed shakily, and looked elsewhere, avoiding her gaze. "...dying."

Catherine just stared at her, amber eyes wide, and then, the maid sighed, letting her head sink further into the soft pillow. "...How long do I have?" She asked, seemingly calm. Lovina couldn't help but smile a bit at her friend. It was just like her to remain calm in bad situations... She couldn't believe how quickly the day had passed, and turned to the window, watching the moon slowly rise further up the sky.

"Doctor says that you probably won't survive the night..." She whispered quietly, and Catherine sighed again, closing her eyes.

"Oh... Lovina... Do not be sad..." Catherine smiled weakly and lifted a bandaged hand to the princess' face, gently wiping away the tears trailing down her cheeks.  
"Please, listen to me. After I am gone... I want you to do whatever it takes to be happy, okay? I... I don't want you to be miserable anymore..." Catherine paused, releasing a quiet cough before continuing, and Lovina was aware of her breathing becoming more labored. "I know of how you have always dreamed of adventure... of finally being able to see the world... and I want you to go for it, okay? I do not want you to be forced into a marriage with a man you do not love... and... I know your mother would want the same."

The Italian woman's eyes widened at the mention of her mother, and she remembered how her mother had always told her and Felicia to be happy...

_"I want you both to cherish your lives, you both have the freedom to make your choices, good or bad. Just remember that life is precious... and remember to be happy..." _

She let out a broken sob as she recalled her deceased mother's words, and Catherine sat up, wincing at the pain she felt in her abdomen. The maid let the princess rest her head on her chest, and she ran her fingers through her dark locks tenderly. Although Lovina was older than the girl, she still felt as if she were being comforted by her mother, and her sobs quieted after a while. She slowly lifted her head from her friend's chest, mumbling a quiet thank you.

"I..." Catherine's eyes glowed with warmth as she spoke. "I remember the first day we met... I thought I had never met someone so rude!" She chuckled, and Lovina wiped away her tears with the sleeve of her cloak, chuckling with her. "But I had decided not to give up... and even now, I'm glad I didn't. We did have a sort of rocky start, but as time passed... we became closer, and now, I not only think of you as my best friend, I think of you as a sister... when my sister passed, I often wondered what it would be like to have a strong bond like that with someone else. To have someone you can tell your secrets to, relate to, confide in, laugh with... and I had all those with you, Lovina. Thank you for making me happy. I want you to be happy... I want you to be as happy as you made me when we became friends, okay? I know you're unhappy at the castle... Do whatever makes you happy. Go out and travel like you have always wanted... Promise me you will."

"Yes... yes I will. I promise, and... I'm happy we became friends too."

Catherine smiled once more, before she let go of the princess and laid back down on the bed, letting out a sigh as she relaxed her pained body. "I'm glad. I really am." Lovina smiled back, but she couldn't help but think about a certain little blonde girl... _'What the hell am I going to tell Andrea? She'll be devastated...'_

As if she had read her thoughts, she said, "Tell Andrea the truth... Lying to her will only hurt her more. And... and tell her that I love her. That I love her very much... more than she can ever imagine. Ever since that day you brought her to the castle..."

"I will, and I-"

Then suddenly, Catherine let out a blood-chilling scream, and Lovina jumped, startled at the sudden sound, and turned to her friend, trying to find out what was wrong.

"Please...! It... It _hurts_ so much..." She pleaded, her eyes glazed over with pain. The doctor quickly entered the room and ran to her side, trying to calm her down, and Lovina held on to her hand, squeezing it gently as she caressed Catherine's brown locks. Nothing worked, and as time passed, the violent writhing and thrashing only increased, and her pleading did not cease. The princess felt terrible; she couldn't do anything to help her friend, and all she could do was _sit_ there, while Catherine was suffering. "It h-hurts... Please... " She moaned, and her movements had started to grow weaker by the second. Catherine tried to say something else, but she could not, for her chest had started to hurt, and it was becoming considerably difficult for her to breathe.

_'Nothing I can do...' _

"Doctor..."

_'Wait...'_

"Yes, Your Highness?"

_"It is not a cure... but it does guarantee a quick, peaceful passing."_

"Lo... Lovina..." Catherine rasped, making the princess wince.

"...Remember what you told me earlier?" She whispered, just loud enough for the doctor to hear. "About the-"

"Yes. Yes I remember... but are you sure about this?"

_'...Catherine...'_

She hesitated, looking down to her hands. Lovina jumped slightly when she felt Catherine's shaking hand upon her own. She looked up, and saw the young girl smiling at her weakly, and, despite the pain she was in, her eyes gleamed warmly.

"...Yes... I am."

* * *

**Italian:**

**-...principessa (...princess)  
****-...signorina (...miss)  
****-Buona fortuna... (Good luck...)  
****-Mi dispiace, signore. Ma non è possibile passare. (I'm sorry, sir. But you cannot pass.)  
****-Ma ho un messaggio da qualcuno al castello! (But I have a message from someone of the castle! {Not too sure about this one... I used an online , not stupid Google Translate. I used Babylon, which is MUCH better.})  
****-Le guardie, gli permettono di passare. (Guards, allow him to pass.)****_____  
_**

**Spanish:**

**-cápitan (captain)  
****-...queridos amigos (...dear friends)  
****-¡Malditos idiotas! (fucking idiots)  
****-'El Corazón Salvaje' (The Wild Heart)  
****-Está bien... (Okay/It's okay...)  
****-¡Callense los dos! (Both of you shut up!)  
****-Los castigo sin vacilación... (I will punish you(pl.) without hesitation...)****_  
_**

_**So I bet you can guess what happened at the end there, with Lovi and Cathy... ;-;**_

_**I hope I didn't make it too sad for you guys... I tend to get carried away when I write sad stuff, haha.**_

**_Oh, and the reason for Nekotalia!Spain, is because every pirate needs a companion, and who knows? There might be more Nekotalia kitties in the future~ (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) _****_Yay! Another chapter finished! Heheh, I love teasing you guys. Don't worry, I wrote a few chapters ahead so updates shall be quicker~ Hope you liked this chapter! There's a lot more D-R-A-M-A coming up~!_****_ Yayyyy!_**

**_***Stardust98***_**


End file.
